Don't Know Why You Say Hello, I Say Goodbye
by Alice of Scots
Summary: SO,this is my first foray into Fan Fiction of any sort. I had this story idea kicking around in my head and just had to get it out. I don't normally share my stories,thought what the heck! Story wise, takes place just after season 3 of Leverage cause otherwise Eliot would NEVER leave the team. And they wouldn't let him leave either! This is the only time I could think of it working
1. Chapter 1

**Breath.** Just breath, he reminded himself as he took a slow deep breath through the pain. They are safe. Focus on the task at hand. Finish this first, you can deal with the consequences later, he told himself. They are safe, he repeated in his mind. Although they very nearly hadn't been. His team, his family had been in danger. Because of _him_. Because his past had come calling again and it wasn't pretty.

They had just finished wrapping up a job. Things had been rocky since Moreau, but they were just starting to get back to what they were before; maybe even better. Taking down the slime had helped. And they had just taken down another one. The rest of the team had gone out for a celebratory show, Sophie had insisted. Eliot had elected to remain behind, making the excuse of needing to ice his head (he had taken a few knocks in the final stages of the wrap up). In truth it wasn't much, but he really wasn't in the mood for Sophie's idea of theater. Especially since he had the feeling she was planning on participating.

It was late. The team had been gone a few hours and he was flaked out on the couch in their offices, resting his eyes in the dark, when he heard a very _distinctive_ sound. As quickly and quietly as a shadow he was up and blending into darkness behind the door. His already superb senses heightened with the knowledge that danger was close, he listened to the bodies moving behind the closed door. He heard the tumblers click as the lock gave way. Silently the door opened, admitting the dark shapes of armed men into their offices. Six of them. He lurked in the shadows, listening to their barely audible communications.

"Fan out. Find him. Team two…is the bar clear?"

"….doesn't matter, we already have the others. But we won't need the fish bait much longer if this goes smooth…"

"No sign of the primary target, sweeping the location now."

Eliot's heart had clenched at this information, but then a cold anger had taken over. They had underestimated him. A **fatal** mistake.

Swift, sure movements closed the distance between them. _Slash, duck, hit, thud_… he had surprise on his side. They did not expect him to be waiting for them.

It was over in moments. Six bodies, some unconscious, some not, lay sprawled across the entry way. Snagging one of their radios, he slipped the earpiece in and headed towards the bar. He needed to find the others! He needed to find out what was going on!

The intruders searching the lower levels took a little longer. Either they were just smarter or the silence from the upstairs team tipped them off. A grand total of 10 minutes since Eliot had become aware that something was wrong and all hostiles on the premises were neutralized and Eliot was rifling through their affects for information. Stepping around the broken glass and furniture, Eliot dumped what he had gathered on the bar. Cell phones, wallets, radios, weapons, keys, various and sundry…..

Holding up one of the smart phones, he activated an app Hardison had installed on his phone and held them up next to each other, watching as the program allowed him to see the locations the phone had been. He checked through all of them, noting a common location in the warehouse district. He deposited all of the gathered loot upstairs and dragged the bodies into the back room. Ensuring that the ones still breathing were secured, he grabbed a few necessities and headed out the door.

Arriving outside the warehouse, he dialed Nate's cell again. None of them were answering. Not on comms, not on anything. Still listening in on the stolen radio, he knew at least the rest of the team was alive. And he knew who had them. His blood boiled with rage and his mind clouded momentarily with the force of the anger directed at his enemy. He shook his head and forced that anger to focus and change into something he could use. He was going to get his family back.

It had been vicious and bloody. They had been waiting for him this time. It had been a trap. Of course it had been a trap. It had been too easy to find them. The group that had tipped him off had gone down too quickly with too many clues pointing at where to go. Of course he knew that. One doesn't go after Eliot Spencer unless one has made ample preparation. Or one has a death wish. But they had underestimated him again. Not his skills, but his motivation. NO ONE THREATENED HIS FAMILY.

He had moved with lethal precision and fierce determination. A deadly shadow, striking quick and fast as a snake. Using gun, knife, fist, elbow, foot, head, door, wall, everything and anything, an unstoppable object, he fought and killed. Nothing that stood in his path remained standing for long. When he finally reached his family, he was drenched in blood. Not all of it his own.

His mind gave a silent cry of relief at seeing them all alive and relatively unharmed. He had hoped what he heard of their status over the radio had been true, but he had feared the worst. Knowing firsthand what sadistic tortures his enemy was capable of. He assessed the situation, taking in the remaining guards, the locations and conditions of each member of his team, as well as the chief instigator of their current situation. Eliot growled low in his throat when his eyes met with those of his enemies'.

That battle was perhaps the hardest for him. Having the team right there, so close, and seeing him like this… He had to get them out. No matter the cost. He tried not to look at their shocked and terrified expressions as he expertly moved in to take advantage of an opening in the deadly dance he was in to slit the throat of the man in front of him. As the last of those opposing him fell noisily to the floor he stood where he was gasping in air like he was drowning. The crackling noise of the fire (originating from the fight at the start of his infiltration into the warehouse) drawing closer and gaining in volume startled him out of the moment.

He moved towards the team, moving slowly but exactly, pretending not to notice the looks on their faces or the flinched movements as he came closer. He tried not to imagine what he looked like. Drenched head to toe in blood and sweat, smelling of it. And gunpowder and fire. Although he suspected part of the dazed look on Nate's face was due to the large purplish bruise blossoming across his forehead. He quickly released them from the cuffs that had been keeping them in place.

"Follow me outta here, stay close. We gotta be quick. This place is gonna burn down around our ears and from the sounds on the radio, there is at least one more squad out there gunnin' for us." Eliot directed them through the stacks of boxes and avoiding the quickly spreading fire, found them an exit. He kept his movements careful and deliberate. He didn't want to scare them and he also didn't want to let on how much he was hurt.

Hardison and Sophie helped support Nate as they made their way out of the warehouse, with Parker clinging to the ends of Hardison's shirt as they all trailed after Eliot. They didn't run into the remaining goons on their way out. Which, while Eliot was relieved at, it also worried him. It meant that they were still out there. He led them to the van he had driven there. The team hadn't used it when they went out earlier that evening.

"Sophie, can you drive?" Eliot asked her. She seemed okay, at least physically, and he knew she could be tough when she had to be. He would have asked Nate, but with the bump on his head he didn't think it was a good idea. And with his own head spinning ever so slightly he decided he probably shouldn't be driving either.

She looked up at him startled and seemed to really look at _him_ for the first time since he had come for them. He could read it in her eyes the moment the thought occurred to her that perhaps some of the blood that was now covering him actually belonged to him. She paled even more, but her lips tightened and she answered,

"Sure,… here Hardison, help Nate into the back."

Once they were all in and peeling out of there, away from the blazing warehouse behind them, Eliot quietly said,

"Not to the office. It's not safe right now. I have a place." Sophie looked at him, a strange look on her face, but she nodded anyway.

When they reached his safe house he headed straight for the master bath. He had an extensive collection of medical supplies there. On the drive over he had ascertained that no one was too seriously injured. Hardison had sprained his wrist when he decked a guy while they were being taken. Even the bump on Nate's head wasn't too bad. Painful, but no concussion. Both Sophie and Parker had managed to escape relatively unscathed, they were all just in shock. Which is probably one of the reasons they didn't notice Eliot's condition. He hadn't been so lucky. He was bleeding heavily from a through and through gunshot in his arm, several knife wounds to his chest, couple of bruised/cracked? ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and probably a mild concussion (if he was lucky) from his head making contact with several boxes and a fire extinguisher during the course of the evening. And he might have sprained his ankle and twisted his knee when a particularly large goon had managed to grab his leg during one of his kicks and had twisted hard. He was lucky it wasn't broken. Although the other guy hadn't been so lucky.

He quickly locked the door and turned on the shower to block any noise and to ensure his privacy. He assessed the damage and cleaned himself up as best he could. He ached. The adrenaline fueled rage that had kept him mobile and functional throughout it all had burned away. He was on empty. And the blood loss wasn't helping.

He reset his shoulder with a grunt of pain. Sighing, he hooked himself up to an IV of saline and proceeded to clean, stitch, and dress his wounds. He tried to hurry. Both because of wanting it over and needing to check on the team. He needed to make sure they were going to be okay. At the same time, he dreaded going back out to face them.

They had seen his dark side. The side he had tried to shield them from. He didn't regret what he had done. He knew it had been necessary. An appropriate response to the threat that his enemy had been. If he had failed… he shuddered to think what would have happened to them. He knew what his enemy had been capable of. He regretted that the innocent members of his team had been exposed to it though. And yes, maybe he was afraid…yes afraid, of what their reaction to him after all this would be.

IV done and finished for the moment with what first aid he could manage, he steeled himself to emerge. He pulled on clean clothes, making sure to wear a long sleeve shirt so all of the bandages would be covered. He glanced himself over in the mirror before heading out. He was pale and tired looking, but his appearance did not scream injured and ready to keel over. Which is how he felt. He headed out to face the team.

Nate, he noticed, had grabbed a bed in one of the other rooms and was passed out with an ice pack on his head. Sophie, sitting on the bed next to him with arms wrapped around herself, looked up as he walked past into the living room. She got up to follow. Eliot looked around for the other members of the team in the large open space that made up the rest of the safe house.

Aside from the one hallway that had several bedrooms down it, the rest of the layout of the place was open. The entry merged with the living room and the living room with the kitchen. All tied together with high ceilings and a sense of belonging. There wasn't much furniture. A couple of couches, a table, a few chairs, and one bookshelf. Which was surprisingly full. Ordinarily, the place had a feeling of peace to it. Right now however, the air was tense as Eliot emerged from the hall and scanned the space for Parker and Hardison. He knew that Sophie had followed him.

Hardison was nowhere in sight. At first neither was Parker. But knowing her as he did, he glanced up and saw the pale blond sitting cross-legged at the juncture of two of the beams stretching across the ceiling. He couldn't help it. He sighed again. Oh, but he was tired! He finally located Hardison when he heard the sound of retching coming from the main bathroom. He started forward but Sophie got there first. She paused only a moment after knocking on the door then pushed it open and Eliot could hear her quietly conversing with the hacker. He slowly levered himself into a chair at the table.

"….but there was so much **blood**! And Eliot… and…. I don't know…..Sophie,… the blood… all of it!...what do… everything….." the hacker's panicked voice drifted into the room. Eliot couldn't quite make out Sophie's murmured responses. Eliot, his eyes closed, felt a presence drift closer. Parker. She settled herself on the table as Sophie came back into the room a few minutes later with Hardison at her side. The hacker drifted over to the couch, to which Parker promptly launched herself once he was settled with his laptop.

Sophie set herself down across the table from Eliot. She looked him over, her face tense and worried. She was the only one who had looked at him since the rescue. Nate was out of it and the others' glances just seem to slide over him and look EVERYWHERE else. Even when Parker had been sitting on the table, she had been watching the door through which Hardison had been.

"What happened Eliot?!" Sophie demanded.

"He was after me…." Eliot began, but Sophie interrupted.

"WHO was that!? What is going on? WHY DID THEY TAKE US!? WHY can't we go back to the office? What did you DO?" She was practically hysterical.

This last question was too much for Eliot.

"I SAVED YOU!" Eliot hollered. "Dammit! Do you have any idea what he would have done to you? Before he killed you? I, I did what I had to…" he gulped and swallowed down his anger. "I…" he tried to begin again, he wanted to explain. To make sure everything was okay. Try to make them understand. Dammit Nate, hell of a time to be taking a nap, he thought. He could have used his input to mediate this. Nate knew about the other warehouse after all. The one where he had left all of Moreau's men.

He did it to protect them. Always. He was their protector. No matter the cost to himself.

"Those people Eliot, what…" Sophie started.

"You killed them, Eliot," Hardison dazedly interrupted.

"I did what I had to." Eliot stated fiercely as he rose. "I'm goin' to bed."

He tried not to look at their faces as he turned and headed back to his room. But he still saw. Saw the judgment, the hurt, the shock, the fear. Oh yes, the fear. They were scared of him. And why shouldn't they be? It was his fault that this had happened. His past rearing its ugly head. His enemy. Again. First Moreau, now this. He couldn't stand to see the fear in their eyes, the fear of _him_. He should have seen it coming. That was why he always worked alone. Too many enemies who would use the innocent people you cared about as leverage. And with a sinking in his heart he knew things had changed.

Hours, and a little bit of sleep, later Eliot silently slung his duffle over his shoulder and walked down the hall. The door to the room Nate had been in was closed, and Eliot knew that now both he and Sophie were asleep within. Eliot slowed as he entered the living area. Hardison and Parker were asleep on the couch. The hacker and thief were wrapped in each other's arms and oblivious to the world in their slumber. His heart aching, Eliot slipped silently out the door.

It was time to go. But he had business to take care of first. He headed back toward the office. It was still early morning. Boston was still essentially asleep. The sun's first rays had yet to make an appearance. And if he had his way he would be done and gone when they did.

He started in the bar and then moved on to the upstairs. He gathered the remains of the evidence from the fight, bagging some and putting the rest in the dumpster. His wounds burned with the exertion. He found the goon's car and loaded the live, bound, and still unconscious muscle into it. As for the other ones, he loaded those and the rest of the evidence into the back of his truck that had been left at McRory's.

He gathered a few of his personal items from around the office as he did one last sweep. He paused, his hand on the door, his chest tight. He whirled around to the kitchen, grabbed the pen and paper from the counter and scratched out a note. Finished he practically fled downstairs. Leaving a stack of cash on the till behind the bar for Cora to replace what had been broken he headed out the back, got in his truck and drove.

**Breath.** Just breath, he reminded himself as he took a slow deep breath through the pain. They are safe. Focus on the task at hand. Finish this first, you can deal with the consequences later, he told himself. They are safe, he repeated in his mind. The team would be safe. He had seen to that. After he had taken care of the….evidence… stashed in the back of his truck, he had made a few calls.

The first had been to a trustworthy friend who would be willing to watch out for the team for him. He needed to know they would be safe. The second had been to Detective Bonnano. He had given him a partial description of the situation, leaving out the more incriminating parts. He told him the location of the van full of bound goons, as well as the location of the team, and the contact information for the friend he had coming in to watch the team. He also expressed his worry about the remaining squad of baddies still in the wind.

"Your team know your leaving?" Bonnano asked him.

"They will soon enough."

"You really think it's a good idea to run off in the middle of all of this?" Bonnano asked shrewdly.

"I've taken care of it." Eliot growled. "It's for the best, really. Ya don't know, ya don't know the half of it. I am doing what needs to be done. Just watch out for them for me, alright?"

"You know I will, I owe you all too much not too." Bonnano replied with a sigh.

Finished with that mission for the moment, Eliot hung up and turned the phone off. He was at another one of his safe houses across town. Well, actually it was really just his garage. It was an old closed down auto shop that he had bough and converted into a safe place to store and repair his many vehicles. Or tinker on them. Fine tune them. But the point right now was that the team couldn't find him here. Or, at least they wouldn't until it was too late.

He was tired and sore and his heart hurt. His head wasn't in a happy place at the moment. But he knew what he had to do. He had already made the decision. And it's not like he'd never lost someone before. He'd spent most of his life on his own. A lone wolf. Sure, he'd worked with others before. Just never like the team. This team, his family. At least not for a long time. He knew the way his mind worked though. He knew what his mind and body needed; what it had needed last time. Even though this time was different, he was choosing to leave, the emotions felt the same. Last time he liberated Croatia. This time, well…. Time to make one more call. But this time on a cell Hardison couldn't trace.

Looking at the clock on the wall he dialed the number from memory.

"Steve….hello, yeah, it's me. You still got a spot open for that job you're puttin' together?"

TO BE Continued... maybe


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Sorry I forgot to put all the disclaimers in the last post, but no I do not own any of the characters nor am I making any money off of this- it is all for good fun and games. I'm just sharing an idea that was kicking around in my head. Hope you enjoy! OH, and timeline wise for Hi 5-0, sometime in season 2 after Korea but in my story Joe still works with the SEALS, he never retired and all that stuff with Wo Fat hasn't happened yet. Anyway, **BACK TO THE STORY:**

Looking at the clock on the wall, it was almost three in the morning making it about ten at night in Hawaii; he dialed the number from memory.

"Steve….hello,"

"Eliot?" the voice came from the other end of the line.

"yeah, it's me. You still got a spot open for that job you're puttin' together?"

"For you, sure thing bro. We could really use you. How soon can you be on the island?" Steve McGarrett responded.

"Give me a week. I'll be in touch when I get there." He hung up the phone.

On a little island in the Pacific, in a bar with the game playing loudly across several screens, Danny Williams looked at McGarrett as he ended the call and put his phone away.

"You expecting company?" he asked his partner. "Company you are planning on 'using'? Are you going to go all ninja on us again?"

"Yeah, an old friend will be coming around in about a week. And I'm not a ninja, I'm a SEAL." Steve answered grinning, as he looked up at his people seated around the table. "So, it's your turn to buy this round, right Dano?"

"Hey, I bought last time!" Danny responded irately.

"He's right Danny," Chin interjected with a laughing tone, "you bet him it wouldn't be the butler. Said it was too cliché. And who did we arrest this afternoon? That's right the butler." Kono just smiled, shook her head at them all, and waved for another round as the friendly banter continued.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As soon as he hung up the phone with Steve, Eliot was already dialing another number. He made two more calls, both to arrange black transportation from Boston to Hawaii. He needed to be completely untraceable, even for Hardison. They were both contacts that he hadn't used in a while, but he was sure they were still good. There were some I.O.U.s that never expired. That settled, he gathered the supplies he deemed necessary and packed them in the storage compartment on his favorite bike. Locking up, he headed out to the rendezvous with his contact.

As the glimmerings of first light touched the city of Boston Eliot was already hours distant. He had pushed his bike into the mostly empty storage car on a train headed to the west coast. Pausing at the door with only a momentary backwards glance, his thoughts rested heavily on what he was leaving behind. He shook himself free of them and settled onto the mattress left for him in a corner of the car. It was going to be a long train ride; he might as well get some sleep. If it would come.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooo

Parker was the first to wake. She could tell it was early morning from the pale light streaming in the windows. She frowned, not recognizing her location, but not too worried on account of the fact that her head was resting on Hardison's chest and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders as he slept on oblivious to the coming day. She quickly remembered the previous night and with it the explanation of her current location. The sweet smile that had graced her face at finding Hardison so close was replaced again with a frown and furrowed brow at the returning of those memories.

It had not been nice. First those bad men had taken the team. And had the _nerve_ to put _her_ in handcuffs. And then stuck around keeping watch so that she couldn't slip out of them. Then Eliot had been scary-grumpy. Not the usual nice-rumbly-grumpy. Just thinking of those men again had Parker's blood boiling and her fingers itching for her trusty tazer. She didn't like it when Eliot got scary-grumpy, although she figured that meant there probably wasn't anyone left for her to taze. And then Sophie had yelled. Parker didn't like yelling either.

She hoped that with everyone rested this morning things would go more smoothly. Everything would be alright. Nate would be feeling better so he could mastermind them a plan taking care of any residues from last night. Eliot would make them breakfast and keep them safe if anyone else decided to come after them. Hardison would clean up any digital footprints and track down any loose ends. Sophie would charm the authorities for information. And hopefully Parker would get to steal something, or maybe jump off a building!

Thinking of Eliot had Parker frowning again. She hoped that scary-grumpy Eliot would be gone this morning. She wanted pancakes. But she was also worried because she had seen the careful way he had carried himself last night. She was sure he was hurt; she just wasn't sure how hurt. To anyone else his movements might have been seen as simply deliberate and controlled. But she knew what his normal movements looked like. And she also knew what it looked like when someone was trying to hide injuries. She was very familiar with that.

She didn't know if the others had noticed. They had all been pretty out of it. And they hadn't seen as much violence as she and Eliot had. They weren't used to it. Nate had probably noticed if he wasn't too out of it with his head. For a group of extremely observant people, they could certain miss what was right in front of them when they got rattled. She had been too concerned with Hardison last night to even poke at Eliot. She had barely even looked at him. At first mostly because he had been covered in icky blood and looked pretty scary. Then Hardison had been freaking out and she had stopped worrying about Eliot as much. He was moving around and **not** freaking out so she had focused elsewhere. She usually gauged how badly he was hurt by his responses to her persistent jabs. She would have to poke him this morning to make sure he was okay.

Without disturbing Hardison she slipped off the couch and moved with thiefly silence towards the kitchen. Deciding that she wanted pancakes NOW, she moved down the hall with the intention of retrieving her resident pancake maker. Opening the door to the master bedroom she bounced inside. Looking first to the bed and then quickly around the room upon finding it empty, her alarm rose until her gaze rested on the door to the bathroom. Stepping forward she knocked, asking as she did so, "Eliot? Can you make me….." the rest trailed off as the door opened with her knocking to reveal the complete lack of Eliot.

She stepped inside and surveyed the remainders of last night's medical trauma. An open suture kit lay on the counter, scatterings of bandages, gauze, tape, antiseptic, and other first aid items. On the floor by the sink was a small black garbage sack. Worried, but overcome with curiosity, Parker approached and untied the bag to look inside. Eliot's bloody clothes from the day before were inside. Along with numerous blood soaked swabs and the empty saline bag and IV. Picking up the sleeve of his shirt, Parker stuck her finger through the round hole she found there. She quickly dropped it back in the bag and backed away looking at her hands that now had blood on them. She turned and fled from the scene of triage and ran down the hall, bursting into the room that Nate and Sophie now occupied.

"WE HAVE TO FIND ELIOT NOW!" Parker yelled as she entered the room.

Upon her outburst, Nate sat bolt upright in bed, then grabbed his head and moaned.

"Parker? What's going on? What do you mean?" Nate asked her as he held onto his head. Sophie stirred as well, sleepily mumbling her agreement with Nate's string of questions, her head still resting on the pillow.

"EliotisGONE!Andthere'saholeinhisshirtandIthinkhew asSHOTanddidn'ttellusandIdon'tknowwhereheisandwhatif

somethinghappenedandeveryone wassoANGRYlastnightOHWHATARE WEGOINGTODO!" Parker hurriedly exclaimed in an incoherent rush.

"WAIT! What Parker? You need to slow down, take a breath, and PLEASE, not so loudly!" Nate begged. "What do you mean Eliot is gone?"

"I don't know." Parker began morosely. "He is supposed to make pancakes but he wasn't in his room and then I looked in the bathroom and his shirt has a HOLE in it!"

Befuddled, Nate asked, "What does that have to do with pancakes?" but as his mind awoke more fully and registered more of her previous outburst he raised his head and looked at her sharply."You think he was shot?"

At this Sophie sat up as well looking worried as she patted down her sleep mussed hair. "Parker, sweetie, just because he's not in his room doesn't mean he's gone. And I mean, surely he would have told us if he had been seriously injured?"

"This is Eliot we're talking about. Sophie," Nate responded, "go check and make sure the van is here. Parker, show me what you're talking about."

Nate followed Parker out and back into the other room. He shrewdly assessed the information that his brain provided him. Bed slept in, but not contentedly judging from the tangled bedding. He took in the sight of the medical equipment spread on the counter as Parker knelt beside the black bag and again removed Eliot's shirt. It was crusty yet still damp in some places, but Nate was relieved to see the hole Parker showed him was in the sleeve. At least until he noticed the slashes along the side. He wasn't happy with what they suggested, but he didn't point them out to Parker.

Letting the shirt fall once more, Parker again examined her hands. She quickly moved to the sink to clean them.

"It will be fine Parker," Nate tried to reassure her. "I'm sure he just went out to pick up groceries or something. I'll get my phone and give him a call."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooo

As Nate had followed Parker out of the room, Sophie had gathered herself and headed towards the garage. She knew she hadn't been on her best behavior last night. She always lost her cool when something happened to Nate. He had been hurt. They had all just been kidnapped and while she had remained cool and professional throughout the ordeal, once they were clear her overextended emotions had exploded. And they had focused on Eliot, who had seemed the most in charge and knowledgeable about their situation.

If she would admit it to herself, she had wondered last night if he had been hurt. But when he had emerged from his room looking worn out but presentable she had latched onto an outlet for her overwhelmed emotions. Even last night she had known she needed to apologize to him, he HAD just saved them all; but she had assumed she could do it this morning, once she had calmed down. Even given that the man who had taken them seemed to be an old enemy of his didn't warrant her attacking Eliot. They all had enemies, albeit some worse than others. And yes, the violence she had witnessed (both from Eliot and their captors) last night was a far cry from any of her previous experiences, even those as Annie Croix. But it wasn't like Eliot had kidnapped them and all the violence he had done had been to save them. They were a family of thieves; making enemies came with the territory.

Finding the garage empty did nothing to reassure her. She was back in the kitchen area and able to see into the living room in time to catch Nate shaking Hardison awake as he spoke on his cell.

"…..just call me when you get this." He ended the call and spoke to the semi-conscious hacker. "Hardison, I need you to trace his cell. Come on, wake up!"

"I'm awake! I'm awake already! Whatchu doing disturbin' a man's sleep at this time of the mornin'?" he asked as he sat up, rubbed his eyes, and reached for his laptop on the small table near the couch. He had brought it in from the van last night. As he started it up he asked, "Now who you want me to trace?"

"Eliot's cell. I need you to find out where he is for me. Now."

"What man! You know how he is about privacy? Whatchu mean he ain't here?" the hacker asked as he caught up with the situation.

"Now, Hardison."

"I'm doin' it man, I'm doin' it! And don't you worry yourself none mama, I'll find him!" he directed at Parker who was pacing across the room, "Ummmm….. it's off. But it looks like it was on earlier this morning! I can follow it from here to where it apparently pinged off of several towers in the vicinity of the office, then traveled to an unknown location about 20 minutes north west of there. WHERE he made three calls, two to encrypted numbers I can't trace on this computer if at all, and one to our very own Detective Bonnano. At which point the cell was turned off. Give me a sec and I'll see if I can pull up an address…." The hacker continued tapping away at his keyboard. "hmmmm, yeah, his comm's GPS says it's at the office….hmmm, as well as the trackers in his jacket and shoe…."

"Nate," Sophie interrupted, "the van is gone".

"WHAT! Lucille! Where he take my baby to?" Hardison whined as he pulled up the GPS locator for the van. "Yeah, I got it. It's parked outside the bar. Does this mean it's safe to head back to the office?"

"I'm not sure." Nate looked calculating. "Eliot's phone is off so he's not getting my calls. He's probably just taking care of things from last night. Although I wish he would have waited for us….. I'm going to call Bonnano." And with that Nate headed back to his room, his cell to his ear.

Sophie stepped forward and sank into one of the chairs at the table. It didn't escape her attention that this is where she had sat last night as she confronted Eliot. She looked down as she guiltily rubbed her arm.

"Parker, woman! Stop your pacing, I'm trying to work here!" Hardison commented as he kept doing his thing. At that the thief went over to the couch and plopped down forcefully next to him. Her arms crossed, she frowned as she stared off into space.

"I don't understand," she said, "why didn't he wait for us. We're supposed to be a team."

Just then Nate came in, a frown on his face. "Bonnano asked to meet with us at the office. I've called us a cab. He said he 'needed to talk to us'."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

They met the detective back at the bar. They had taken in the sight of several police cruisers parked out front with some trepidation. They walked into the bar, noting the broken lock, the slight signs of a scuffle, and the missing furniture. Bonnano greeted them all with a nod as he shook Nate's hand.

"Detective."

"Mr. Ford." Bonnano nodded again as he continued, "Well, there was quite the ruckus here last night. Did you know that a crew of heavies decided to break in and clean the place out? Apparently they had quite a taste for Irish whiskey, because they somehow managed to clobber each other and then pass out in their van out front before they could make their getaway." He informed them, his voice heavy with disbelief and skepticism in his own words. "Why don't we continue this conversation upstairs while these officers process the scene?"

"By all means detective." They filed after him up the stairs at the back. The upstairs too bore signs of a struggle although fewer than in the bar. Once they were all in the office, AKA "Nate's apartment", Hardison and Parker both settled onto one of the black couches. The hacker with his laptop out and busy while the thief just curled up next to him with her feet tucked under her. The mastermind gestured the detective forward and then settled into his customary chair at the briefing table. Sophie hesitated then settled besides him. Bonnano gave them all an assessing look before settling onto the far couch with a sigh.

"Do you have any idea what I have been doing since 2:30 this morning?" He asked them.

"Why don't you enlighten us? That was around the time you received a call from Eliot, so I assume it has to do with yesterday's events." Nate surmised.

"Yeah, yeah it does. And let me tell you, when that boy does things, he doesn't go half way. I got eight guys on ice, six of whom are in the hospital under police guard. The remaining two, now that they are conscious, are both refusing to talk and demanding lawyers. Spencer told me someone was targeting him and had tried to kidnap the rest of you? Add to that the burned out remains of a warehouse and the looks on your faces and I would say yeah, that about sums it up. Anything else you want to add?"

"**You** spoke with Eliot." Nate's tone made it almost a question. "Can you tell us where he is or what he's doing? As for the rest of it, yes, I believe someone from Eliot's past thought it would be a good idea to grab us to use as leverage. Lucky for us, they underestimated him and we were able to get out. Although I believe there may still be a few remaining loose ends. Unless that is what Eliot is taking care of?"

Bonnano looked at them all with something that almost looked like pity. "No, I don't believe that he is taking care of that. He passed the information on to me…."

Parker interrupted him, "If you know where he is you have to tell us! He's hurt and he's OUR Eliot, so you have to tell us!"

Bonnano smiled at her sadly as he stood. "Then maybe you should have told him that. And no, I don't know where he is. But he informed me his replacement should be arriving by tomorrow. And I found this when we swept the building for anymore perps," he said as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his coat pocket. "I'll keep you apprised of the investigation and the patrol cars will remain out front for the next couple days to make sure everything is okay." He set the paper on the desk in front of Nate and headed for the door ignoring the wave of shock left in his wake.

"Replacement!?" Hardison exploded bewilderedly, "You can't replace Eliot! What's he talking about? Nate? What's that paper?"

With trembling hands, Nate reached forward and quickly read the message scrawled across the paper. Placing it flat on the table in front of him, his hands pressed against it and his head down; he asked "What exactly happened last night after I passed out?"

Hardison squirmed and Sophie looked away. Parker is the one that answered. "Well, Hardison was sick and Sophie yelled and then Eliot got mad and went to bed."

"What **happened** Sophie?" Nate asked in a tone that left no room for anything but a prompt and truthful answer.

"That's what I asked him Nate!" Sophie tried to explain herself. "You were hurt and we had all just been kidnapped by a monster! And then Eliot had swooped in like a tornado, killing everything in his path, leaving nothing but destruction and devastation in his wake! That man knew him! Was after us because of him!" Then in a smaller voice she continued, "I asked him what he did….."

"He saved our lives Sophie," Nate responded coldly. "He took on an army by himself, again, to get us out of there safely."

"I know!" Sophie rebutted. "Wait! What do you mean 'again'?"

"This isn't the first time he's had to make a hard choice or faced impossible odds trying to keep us all safe." Nate responded uncomfortably cryptic, hoping he wouldn't have to go into details. With that in mind he tried to shift the conversation back to the matter at hand. He gestured to the letter in front of him. "Eliot blames himself. He thinks he's a liability to the team. He thinks that being around us is putting us in danger from his enemies."

"Hate to say it but mans got a point," Hardison added, "I'm just saying! Not that that means it's okay for him to LEAVE! Hell NO! But last night certainly puts it into perspective."

"We all had enemies before we started working together, and we've made quite a few since." Nate said with resignation. "Would you rather face our collective enemies on our own or with Eliot by our side and watching our backs?"

"What did he say Nate?" Sophie asked as she sneaked her hand out and slipped the paper from beneath his hands. Her eyes quickly scanned the page, tearing as they did so. "Oh Eliot! Oh this is all my fault!"

"Sophie," Nate began, his anger replaced with weariness. "No one person holds the blame here. We all share some, including Eliot for reacting like this!"

"And what does he mean 'provided for your protection'" Sophie questioned as she gestured at the letter. "Bonnano said his 'replacement' would be here soon; he can't mean he's bloody replaced himself!"

"I don't want a replacement! I want Eliot." Parker added.

"Me too mama, me too." Hardison spoke up as the rest of the team nodded their agreement. "Speaking of which, I found the address for the last location of his phone before he turned it off. Are we going to check this out and drag his ass back here?"

The rest of the team started to rise and head out to make good on Hardison's plan, with Nate a step behind. Nate had chased Eliot before, during his days with IYS, and he knew that the chances were practically nonexistent that Eliot would still be there when they arrived. He knew how to disappear completely when he wanted to. He knew how to leave no trace and he also knew **exactly** who would be looking for him and how. He knew the team. And if Nate understood anything from the letter he had left them, he intended to disappear completely this time. However, with that in mind, Nate still couldn't bring it upon himself to dash the hopes of the rest of the team at following this, their only lead on where to find their hitter. For the moment, they had a purpose, a goal. And they were going to keep going till they ran out of pavement.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooo

Piling out of the van and finding the door to Eliot's garage locked and unresponsive to their knocking and demands for entry, Parker quickly remedied the situation. They entered not knowing what to expect. Well, inside was about what you would expect to find in a garage housing a hitter's favorite assortment of vehicles and tools. But what they hoped to find was nowhere in evidence. They all spread out as if to ensure that Eliot wasn't simply hiding in a corner, even though it was clearly evident that he wasn't here.

Parker found his cell on one of the workbenches. On a note pad next to it she read the message aloud, "'New job, don't look for me. It would jeopardize the mission- E.'"

At hearing Parker's voice, the others had stopped what they were doing and looked towards her. They quickly gathered at her side as she read the note.

"I don't know if it is true or not, or if he just knew the one thing to say to make sure we didn't look for him." Nate told the others.

"What? What do you mean not look for him?" Sophie asked.

"If it is true, and our looking for him compromises whatever 'job' he's gotten himself into; it could get him killed." Nate answered her question for them all. "If it's not, he's just damn clever. Which we already know he is. He knows that either way, we wouldn't want to risk his safety by using our usual methods of finding him."

"But we are still going to find him right?" Hardison asked.

"Yes we are. We are just going to have to circumvent the usual approach."

"How do we do that?" Parker wanted to know.

"I have a plan…." Nate said as he truly smiled for the first time this morning. "Let's go steal a…."

"New approach!" Parker interrupted.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's go steal a hitter!" Sophie guessed.

"OH! Or a chef!" Hardison said, but on seeing their looks added. "What! I'm hungry!"

"I was going to say…" Nate tried again. "Oh well, never mind!" he huffed exasperatedly and headed for the door as Parker and Hardison loudly debated the merits of stealing a chef vs. stealing an entire restaurant.

Nate met Sophie's eyes as they all piled back into the van. A silent conversation followed. Yes, she knew their chances as well as he. But they were not going to give up on this crazy family they had constructed. And in the mean time, they would be strong for the ones that were still here. He pulled a smile back onto his face and started to run through different plans in his mind, blocking out the now hopeful banter that filled the van so he could concentrate.

**NOTE:** OKAY! Sorry not much Eliot, but don't worry next chapter he gets to Hawaii. ;-)

Hope you enjoy. And thanks for the comments, they convinced me to keep this going!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your comments! I hope I can satisfy all of your wishes! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far. And yes, we will see some good 5-0 and Eliot action: explosions, cases, chaos, and fun! But I'm not giving anything away ;)

On another note, previous disclaimer (see ch. 2) still applies, and let's says it applies to the whole shebang so I won't be saying this at the beginning of every chapter. Also, just a little about my writing: I know virtually nothing about the technical stuff that might be included. Some I will make up, the rest is gleaned from watching Leverage, spy shows, and the like. I will also invent some locations. So I hope it doesn't bother anyone too much. Figure that what I do make up is probably for a specific purpose in the story or I just don't know better. Well, here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

**AND SO IT BEGAN:**

One week later-

"That's not the point," Danny argued. "I'm just saying I don't understand why everyone on this island…" he trailed off as Steve, who had been good naturedly listening to his ranting, veered off their course and headed across the parking lot. They had just left 5-0 headquarters and were headed to their vehicle and a crime scene. But not just yet apparently. Danny looked ahead and spotted what had caught Steve's attention.

Leaning on a motorcycle parked under a tree across the lot was a man. He had long brownish hair, just under shoulder length. He was wearing a long sleeve button down dark blue shirt rolled up to his elbows, blue jeans, and black combat boots. He was also smirking in a way that had Danny thinking about calling for back up. The cop in Danny told him this guy was dangerous. He hurried after Steve, ready to provide back up if this turned south.

Eliot had made it to Oahu just that morning. He had spent the last week resting as a train and then a cargo ship carried him to his destination. His concussion had mercifully faded and his leg was much better than it had been. It was thankfully not sprained; it had just been a pulled muscle. Although the ankle still bothered him if he stood for too long. His ribs were still tender and probably would be for another couple of weeks, he knew from experience. The knife and bullet wounds were still a pain, but that type of injury took longer than a week to heal completely. All in all though, he was in much better shape than he had been in Boston. At least physically.

He had dragged his bike out of the ship's hold and headed for Steve's office intending to surprise him. He had thought about sneaking past their security for fun and just kicking back in his office until he showed, but when Eliot had arrived he had spotted the SEAL turned cop leaving the building with another guy. He smirked when Steve noticed him and leaned back against his bike with his thumbs hooked in his pockets as he waited for the other man to close the distance.

Steve smiled as he approached and pulled the hitter into a back slapping bro hug that made Eliot wince slightly but no one caught it. Saying as he did so, "Eliot, hey man! How ya been?"

"I'm good Steve, I'm good. But you might wanna introduce me to your partner here, I think he wants to arrest me." Eliot responded with a smile.

Steve turned back to look at Danny heading towards them. Danny had relaxed slightly when he saw that Steve obviously knew the stranger in a friendly way and he wasn't some past enemy there to cause trouble. Although, he thought, that didn't mean there wouldn't be another sort of trouble entirely. This was the cause of his worry as he walked up to them.

"Eliot, this is my partner Detective Danny Williams. Danny this is an old friend of mine, Eliot Spencer." Steve introduced them. "We've worked together. Operation Strawberry Fields among other things." Steve added with a smug tone.

At that Eliot's face had gone completely blank and he said in a voice completely devoid of emotion, "That's classified."

"Ahhh, don't worry. He doesn't know anything about it but the name. It came up during one of our cases." Steve reassured. Which brought the smile back to Eliot's face as he held out his hand to Danny.

"So, you're a SEAL." Danny surmised as he shook his offered hand.

"Ha," Eliot laughed good-naturedly, "in another life."

"Eliot's a… security expert now." Steve filled in. "Speaking of which. We've caught a case just now where your input would invaluable. You free to tag along? You could meet the rest of the team."

"Sure thing," Eliot said after only a momentary hesitation. "You lead the way."

"Come on, grab your stuff. Your bike will be safe here; we'll swing by later and pick it up." Steve instructed while Eliot complied.

They headed towards the car and as Eliot tossed his stuff in the trunk Danny grumbled about being relegated to the back seat of _his_ car. Again. As they headed out there was some polite chatter while the two friends became reacquainted and Danny tried to learn a bit more about his partner's friend.

When Steve asked, "So, what's changed that your schedule has cleared up and you can come out now?"

At this Eliot sobered instantly. "I suddenly found myself with a little free time." He replied.

"I thought your job kept you pretty busy," Steve questioned. "What's it called where you work again? Leverage Association?"

"Leverage Consulting and Associates."

"Uh huh, well last time we talked –before you called- you seemed pretty tight with them. So what happened man?"

"Island this tiny we'll probably be there soon. What's this case you say I can help on? Wanna bring me up to date?" Was Eliot's only reply.

Steve took the hint and went along with the change of topic, planning on get more out of him later. He could tell something had gone down. But it could wait, they _were_ almost to the crime scene.

"High-end jewelry store downtown Honolulu was hit early this morning. Two security guards were killed with a third in the hospital in critical condition. We're heading there now where we'll get the specifics." Danny supplied.

"And here we are now," McGarrett announced as they pulled up by a police cruiser parked next to yellow crime scene tape blocking off the store. Climbing out of the vehicle, Eliot trailed behind as Steve approached the tape and flashed his badge at the officer standing guard.

"5-0, he's with me" Steve said with a nod of his head back towards Eliot.

"Go right ahead," the officer responded while lifting the tape so they could duck underneath.

"Mahalo," Steve thanked him.

They entered the opulent store which was currently in a state of shambles. It was a large store with high ceilings and cream colored walls. Pricy looking island paintings adored sections of the walls. There was a somewhat enclosed entry way, which still allowed you to see into the rest of the store. Eliot recognized it for what it was, a security choke point. There were also two doors leading to the back of the building. He spotted at least three surveillance cameras in his quick sweep of the room but he doubted that was all the security this place boasted.

There was shattered glass all over the floor of the main display area. Cases had been smashed open, their contents removed or strewn over the floor in haste as the robbers grabbed their stolen loot. Two bodies lay amidst the glass. There were signs they had been moved from where they'd fallen, probably by the paramedics or first responders.

A Hawaiian cop with short dark hair had been bending over examining the bodies but when he saw them enter he rose and started towards them. Another female cop who had been taking witness statements in the corner also glanced towards them and motioned for another uniform to finish up as she too headed over.

"Steve," the man began and then noticed Eliot as he stepped forward from behind McGarrett.

"Chin, this is an old friend of mine, Eliot Spencer. He will be assisting us in this investigation. Eliot, this is Lt. Chin Ho Kelly. And this is Officer Kono Kalakaua." Steve introduced as Kono stepped up to the group.

"Nice to meet you," Chin said with a handshake.

"Likewise." Eliot responded then added "Darlin'" as he shook Kono's hand as well.

She responded with a raised eyebrow and a smile, turning serious again she said to Steve, "That's the store manager and the morning crew" nodding towards the group of people in the corner. "They were just finishing putting out the displays for the day when approximately four armed masked robbers entered yelling for them to hit the ground. The security responded and was quickly taken down. Two of the men stood guard while the other two used the butt of their guns to smash the displays open and stuffed as much as they could into bags. In and out in under six minutes."

"Get this," added Chin, "the silent alarm never went off. The manager only called 911 once the robbers had exited the building. The techies are looking into it, but also given that the surveillance shows only static for the 5 ½ minutes they were in here suggests that someone jammed the system. Steve, those two guards didn't even have time to draw their weapons. Whoever these guys were, they're pros and they're ruthless."

"What's the security system?" Eliot asked as Steve and Danny stepped forward to get a look at the scene.

"Umm, a Zerensky 6.0" Kono replied after checking her notes.

"We usually canvas for surrounding video sources in the hopes that we might catch the perpetrators on camera approaching or fleeing the scene." Chin said. "But if it was a broad area jam, we might not get anything."

Eliot nodded and moved forward to get a better look at the scene while the two cops got back to work. As he did so, the medical examiner arrived. Steve provided introductions again for Dr. Max Bergman. Those done, Steve asked Max what he thought of the scene.

"I believe that I have a few ideas at this moment, but let me collect all the information available to me at this juncture and I will provide you with my thoughts momentarily." Max replied.

As Max went over the scene Eliot checked the security he saw with the list in his head of the specs of a Zerensky 6.0 system. He frowned when he noticed several inconsistencies. Squatting down next to Steve as he examined one of the fallen guards he spoke to him in an undertone.

"Steve, something's not right here. Either the paperwork is wrong or someone is lying. This security system is not what it says. I spot at least two hidden cameras in addition to the obvious ones, three motion/heat sensors, and that door into the back has a high end encrypted number keypad, print scanner, and keycard access. The only thing their missing in their security here is retinal scanners and missile proof glass. All this in a store this size, with more security focusing on that door than the merchandise. There is something else going on here."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that for four guys with handguns to knock this place over should have been impossible. The choke point at the door, _three_ armed security guards, and all that electronic security. Cops should have been alerted the moment they walked in the door and been here in three. A jammer would have taken out the main cameras but the hidden ones are shielded. If we can find the feed, we can see what went down."

"Right, where do you think we'll find it?"

"I'd start looking behind that door." Eliot said as they both stood.

Steve strode over to the manager and forcefully suggested that he opened the back door.

"I'm, I'm sorry ssssir," As the man stuttered Eliot moved to stand by the door. "Only the owner is allowed to give authorization for people to see in the back."

"Then call the owner." Steve suggested.

"They are out of the country for the next month, I can't I'm, I'm sorry!"

"You are interfering in a police investigation, do you understand that I can have you arrested and charged if you don't open that door?"

"I CAN"T!" the man wailed.

"Right, then we will." Steve said. "Officer, take this man into custody." He instructed one of the HPD uniforms.

At that Eliot grinned, stepped back a pace from the door, lifted his foot and kicked a hole right through the wall next to the door. Pulling his foot out he reached an arm through and turned the handle on the other side. Seeing the looks on the faces of everyone except for Steve, who just grinned and looked like he would have rather been able to do that, Eliot shrugged and said as if in explanation, "The wall is weaker than the door. Some people are stupid, they buy a high tech security door and forget to reinforce the walls they put it in."

"Oh no, Not another one!" Danny directed heavenward. "Not another person in my life with complete disregard for destruction of property. Please tell me you don't run around with a gun getting people shot at." Danny directed at Eliot.

"Don't like guns" Eliot replied.

Steve stepped past them and through the door and as he did so he patted Danny on the shoulder and said, "Doesn't mean he doesn't know how to use them."

"Besides, I only use violence as an appropriate response." Eliot added in his defense as he followed the detective through the door after Steve.

Steve entered the room, his hand on his gun, and swept his gaze around to check for danger. The room was empty. At least of people. There was a large vault door against the back wall while the wall to the left was covered with screens, computers, and security monitors.

"That's great. A closed vault. Tell me, Spencer, can you get us through that door too?" Danny asked sarcastically.

"Not unless you have any shape charges handy and you don't mind a little noise." Eliot said as he stepped towards the security console. He quickly toggled up the mornings video feeds, thinking sadly as he did so how surprised Hardison would be at his apt computer manipulations. There _were_ some things with a computer he was good at; in his line of work you had to be.

"Okay, five feeds are coming up static. Those will be the standard camera feeds. These three here are the shielded ones." Eliot directed their gaze in the right direction and pressed play on the feed a few moments before the incident had started. They watched the screens as the robbery played out before them. Frowning, Eliot ran the video feed back and played it again.

"They are taking way too long," he muttered.

"What?" Danny asked, "Five minutes is too long to knock over a jewelry store?"

"Look these guys!" Eliot pointed. "They could have made out with twice as much stuff as they did, they're pros. Ex-military, probably not US. You can tell by the way they communicated while taking down the guards. It's very distinctive."

"The witnesses said they didn't talk to each other at all." Steve informed him as he looked in closer at the video.

"They didn't have to, look at their hands. Coded sign language, very subtle. Ya see man?"

"Yes, you're completely right!"

"Wait! Coded sign language?" Danny asked. "What are they saying?"

"Don't know. It's coded man. That's why you use a code. So no one else can understand you." Eliot said as he searched through the computer again. "Hey guys, I found another video feed. This one isn't regularly accessed so I didn't see it at first." He pulled up the new feed.

It showed an empty jewelers workshop, probably accessed through the other door in the main display area. "Let me run it back, just a sec…" When Eliot had done so they were faced with a new problem. The screen showed a woman working in the shop, glancing up just in time for the commotion to have started in the front of the store. Just as she got up to see what was going on, the fire exit in the back corner of the shop burst open to reveal two more masked gunmen. Seeing them, the woman picked up a hammer from the workbench and threw it at them, scrambling for the main door. They grabbed her, kicking and screaming (although there was no sound, they could tell she was) and dragged her out the door after injecting her with something that made her go limp.

"This isn't just a robbery, this is a kidnapping!" Steve said as he pulled out his phone to update HPD to be on the lookout for a kidnapping victim.

"This is bad, the robbery was a distraction." Danny added, "We have to find her, how did we not even know she was missing till now? I thought when HPD secured the scene they verified all the employees. We don't even know who she is!"

"I know one way to find out." Steve said grimly as he finished his call. He headed back to the front of the store. As the other two followed him they heard a commotion. Entering the main area they saw that the store manager had tried to make a break for it but been stopped by a clothes lining move provided by Kono. As Chin pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed him he yelled, "NO! Let me go, he's gonna kill me!"

"Kono," Steve addressed her, "get in there and get the techs going over that equipment. Make sure we get copies of everything. We need to find these guys, this is now a kidnapping."

"Sure thing boss." Kono looked worried as she headed to the back.

"What's going on Steve?" Chin asked as he wrestled the cuffed man up and into a close by chair not letting go of his shoulder as he struggled frantically.

"One of the employees was in the back when this place got hit. Two additional assailants went in the back and grabbed her. I need to know who she is and what you know." Steve directed the last at the manager. "NOW."

At being addressed the man had frozen with a deer in the headlights look on his face. "He'll kill meeeee..." he whined.

"You don't need to worry about whoever 'he' is. Right now you need to worry about me, and what I'll do to you if you don't cooperate." Steve said menacingly as he invaded his personal space.

"You're a cop! You can't hurt me…." The manager trailed off worriedly at the laughs coming from everyone around him but Steve. Steve just grinned wickedly and said, "I have immunity from the governor to do whatever necessary to get the job done. And right now, you are stopping me from getting the job done."

"Steve, we don't have time for you to toss this guy in a shark cage right now. We need to find that woman." Danny then addressed the now terrified manager. "Listen, you are going to tell us what we want to know. Now, or after whatever Steve decides to do to you. But you are going to tell us. So why don't you make it easier on yourself and just tell us, okay?"

"I, I…" he swallowed, "I was approached two days ago by a man who offered me $200,000 to help him rob the store. I didn't know he was going to kill anyone! I swear! He just wanted to know what security system we had and information about the guards."

"And so you gave it to him." Steve said in disgust.

"I had no choice! He would have killed me if I refused. He is absolutely terrifying! And I needed the money… I have some bad debts I needed to pay off…" the manager tried to justify himself.

"What about the woman working in the back?" Danny asked. "Was she part of the 'information' you gave to this guy? Who is she?"

"Her name is Melina Orson, she is the bench jeweler for the store. And he promised he won't hurt Melina! He just needs her for something, I swear! That's all I know!"

"You're scum. You know that!" Danny said angrily.

"Come on," Steve's anger was like ice. "You are under arrest for conspiracy, theft, kidnapping, and two counts of felony murder."

"But I didn't kill anyone! I didn't even have a gun!" The manager protested.

"No, smartass, but you helped them. And did you know that if someone dies while a felony is being committed all parties participating in the felony can be held responsible for it?" Steve informed him. "Chin, take him down to booking."

"NOOOO! You can't do this to me… Wait! I have more, I want to make a deal! Please!" he begged.

"I thought you said that you gave us all you knew." Steve asked coldly.

"I didn't kill anyone! Make me a deal and I'll give you the name of the guy that approached me."

"How about this?" Danny asked him. "You help us find Melina and the people who did this and maybe, just maybe we think about knocking the two murder charges off of your sentence?"

"And the kidnapping?"

"Don't press your luck…" Steve advised him.

"Okay! The guy said his name was Matthew Hilts. I have his contact information in my left jacket pocket."

At that name, Eliot started. He had been standing back during the whole exchange just watching the well practiced routine of good cop/bad cop as the manager caved and gave them everything. But at hearing that name he stepped up. His luck couldn't be _that_ bad. "What was that name again?"

Chin, Danny, and Steve all looked at Eliot. The manager, put off by yet another person looking at him threateningly, he stammered again, "Matth…Matthew HHiltttss…"

Eliot folded his arms and nodded. Looking at Steve he said, "That's an alias. If I'm right about who this guy really is, we're dealing with Samuel Keller. He has been known to work for the Yakuza, the Triads, hell, even the Russian mob. Basically anyone you wouldn't wanna mix with, he's worked for them. He's a hitman, a fixer, a cleaner. He solves problems and pulls jobs for the down and dirty with lots of money. He's on Interpol's most wanted, as well as the CIA's, MI -6, and quite a few other watch lists. He's all around bad news."

"Wow… okay, and you know this how?" Danny asked him.

"We crossed paths a few years back. Had a decidedly unfriendly encounter." Eliot's tone suggested he drop the subject which he promptly did, turning back to the more urgent matter.

The manager looked beyond completely horrified. "I'm sooo going to dieeee!" he moaned.

"I don't understand. Why would a guy like that need Melina? And how did no one hear her screaming when she was grabbed? And if this guy is such a pro, how did he not know about the shielded cameras?" Danny asked.

"I can answer some of that… IF YOU PROTECT ME!" the manager begged.

"What have you got?" Chin asked, stepping into the conversation for the first time.

"The shop in the back is sound proofed. Some of the machines are loud and it kind of takes away from the store's… grandeur. So we had it sound proofed. As for the cameras, I didn't tell him about the upgrades to the system. I didn't know they were shielded cameras. I just told him the type of system. I guess he didn't double check."

"That's enough for now," Steve began, "Chin, book him. Make sure no one but 5-0 can get access to him. And YOU" he directed at the manager "you will continue to cooperate or you go down for it all. Understand?" The man quickly nodded his assent.

As Chin led the man away Steve continued speaking, "Let's head back to the office. See what we can dig up on this Sam Keller. I guess we were really lucky to have you here today Eliot. Now Keller may not be so lucky."

"I hope you're right Steve." Eliot said as they headed out. Then he asked Danny, "And hey, what was that about a shark cage?"

"Oh! Just let me tell you about some of the things your friend here has done since I met him!" Danny said with relish as he began to recount some very interesting situations.

Eliot laughed, "Hey man, that's nothin'! Just let me tell you a thing or two…."

Steve sighed inwardly; yup, his two friends were definitely having a little too much fun. "Come on guys," he reminded them. "We have someone to find."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, there will be more to come! But first I'll have to do a little hehemmm… research. By which I mean have a Leverage/Hawaii 5-0 marathon. Yippie! And in answer to some reviews, we will have a few chapters with just the 5-0 crew (don't know how many yet) but the Leverage team will be back after some things get taken care of and the story moves along a bit. Well, TTFN hope you enjoyed. Reviews/constructive criticism or ideas for how you would like to see this go are always welcome. Thanks =)


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. Crazy does not even begin to describe this last week. Once again, thank you all for the reviews. They keep me writing. MATT- don't worry, Danno will get his chance. I'd just felt a little neglectful of Chin and Kono at the time and thought they deserved some action. Don't know yet if Grace will make an appearance. In answer to other questions (nas2439): Yes Joe knows Eliot (more will be revealed on that later) Don't know about Catherine yet… still developing various aspects of where this will take me. Honestly I don't know sometimes. For example when I started this I had no idea some of the stuff that happens in this chapter would occur and yet here they are! And again in response to some of the reviews: I have thought about maybe making this a 2-parter; with the Leverage crew not showing up again until part 2. But I haven't decided for sure yet. And so without anymore rambling on my part-

**here is the next chapter**:

Several hours later the Five-0 task force and Eliot gathered at their headquarters to share what they had found.

"Samuel Keller, AKA Matthew Hilts, Franklin Jones, and a host of other identities." Chin began as he pulled a photo up on the screen for the team. "Believed to have been born in South Africa and to have received Special Forces training there, although neither has been confirmed. That being said, he can and has passed himself off as any number of nationalities and backgrounds. As Eliot said, he is featured on Interpol's most wanted as well as being wanted in quite a few countries on suspicion of theft, kidnapping, and murder for hire. He is the main suspect in the kidnapping of the son of a South American diplomat last year. It didn't end well."

Steve, arms folded across his chest, nodded and asked, "Kono, what've you got on our kidnapping victim?"

Pulling up another image, this time a driver's license photo of the smiling face of their kidnap victim, Kono began, "Melina Orson, 35, native born Hawaiian, went to the mainland for several years where she studied jewelry manufacturing and became a master goldsmith/bench jeweler. Other than that she's lived her whole life in the islands. Neither she nor her family has any significant sum of money or assets that would make her a target for kidnapping. Which supports the theory provided by the store manager, that Keller wants her for something."

"Which is good news for us, it means she's probably still alive." Steve commented.

"Do we have any ideas about what Keller's plan is?" Danny asked

"From what I've been able to get so far, it seems like this guy only goes for jobs with big payouts. That being said, I'm still working on coming up with a possible end game here." Chin responded. "We have BOLO's out on both Keller and Orson, but we've yet to get any hits."

"You're right about the payouts; Keller's full of himself and wouldn't do a job without a take of $250,000 or more." Eliot added. "Figure in the cuts for the crew and expenses and you're looking at a target worth somewhere upwards of a couple mil. Check places with the latest security where a public event is scheduled. He likes adding to his reputation by hitting hard targets, but hitting them during an event means there are more holes in security. I'd also look into places related to jewelry, due to the kidnapping."

"That's good and all, but we need to find Melina before he finishes whatever his plans are or he won't need her anymore!" Danny pointed out.

"That's the plan Danny," Steve said confidently. "Speaking of which, Kono, I want you to talk to Melina's family. See if you can get anything useful that might help us find her or find out what Keller wants with her. Chin, tag along with Eliot. He's been able to set up a meet with a source that may be able to help."

"No, offence but I don't need a baby sitter, man." Eliot complained to his friend.

"No, but Chin knows the island and he's got a badge. So he's going with you. My task-force, my rules buddy. Sorry." Steve smiled as he made the apology he really didn't mean. "Danny and I will go talk with Max, see if he can give us any leads."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo

"Nice bike," Chin said appreciatively as he and Eliot headed out into the parking lot.

"Thanks man." Eliot responded. "Hey, no offence about earlier. My contacts just really aren't the type to welcome cops, ya know?"

"That's understandable. I have my own CI's that are skittish about associating with law enforcement. So, where are we meeting this contact of yours?"

"Umm," Eliot checked a slip of paper in his pocket. "Boathouse 23, Waikiki Boat Club."

"Good, it's not too far."

"Not bad!" Eliot said in appreciation of Chin's bike as they both slung onto their respective vehicles and started them up.

"Mahalo bro. D'you know the way or do you want me to lead?"

"I know, but go ahead and let's get this show on the road."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo

"Sooooo," Danny started as they walked down the hall toward Max's office.

"Soooo? What Danny?" Steve asked his partner.

"Eliot's interesting. Don't you think it's odd how quickly he recognized Keller?"

"Come on Danny! It's his job to know things like that. And besides, he said he'd run into the guy before."

"Yeah, about that. What exactly is his job again? I mean, he has security specs memorized in his head and he recognizes hitmen by their aliases. In what kind of 'security' job do you need to be able to do that?"

"Danny. Do you trust me? Well, I trust Eliot. With my life, and I have on more than one occasion. And he's saved my ass and I've saved his more times than I can count. I may not know all the things he's done, but I know he's a good man. I know he helps people. That's what his job is. He helps people who have nowhere else to go. And I know I can count on him. Happy now?" Steve asked.

"Fine. I trust you, I'll let it go. But that doesn't mean I don't still think it's weird. What's he doing in Hawaii anyway?"

"He's going to be helping me out with something when I go out of town next month."

"OH! Right! That super secret ninja 'thing' you won't tell me about cause it's 'classified'. Right, well enjoy your secrets!" Danny finished with a huff and stepped into Max's office.

"Ah! Gentlemen, thank you for coming down." Max greeted them. "I believe I have some information that may prove useful in your investigation."

"What have you got Max?" Steve asked.

"Well, firstly, I believe you might find it interesting that, in addition to forming strong water resistant bonds, cyanoacrylate is quite useful as a forensic tool in discovering latent prints."

"Max? The point? Cyano-what?" Danny asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose, head in hand.

"More commonly known as Super Glue." Max clarified. "With its help I have been able to recover prints on the left forearm of our first subject, James Nickels."

"I thought the robbers wore gloves?" Steve questioned.

"Indeed they did. However, it seems that one of Mr. Nickels' assailants favored a glove leaving the palm area of the hand open. Thusly I have been able to recover a partial handprint. Sadly, no finger prints were to be found due to the presence of the glove. However, if the partial does not appear in the system, this can still be used to positively identify the assailant once you have a suspect."

"Now, moving on to the second reason I called you down here." Max continued. "The toxicology I ran on both guards provided me with the information that they had both been dosed with small quantities of a muscle relaxant. Neither guard received a high enough dose to induce sleep, but their movements would have been sluggish and delayed. I have already alerted the doctors treating the third guard so that they can take the appropriate measures."

"Good work Max," Steve told him. "What about ballistics?"

"As confirmed by the surveillance and witness statements, backed of course by sound forensic evidence, I can tell you that the assailants used 9mm handguns. The lab is processing the bullets I removed and will hopefully be able to provide you with more information that will allow you to trace the origin of the weapons in question."

"Thanks again Max, let us know if you get anything else." Danny thanked him.

"You have my assurances that I will."

"All right then, catch you later." Steve said as they headed out the door leaving Max to his work.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooo

Eliot pulled up a few blocks from their destination and parked by the curb. Chin pulled up beside him. They had taken turns on point for the ride over.

"Why are you stopping? We still got a couple blocks to go." Chin asked.

"Always have an exit strategy and never let them see you coming." Eliot told him. That said, he stepped off his bike and started walking in the direction of their destination. Chin followed.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked.

"We get a look at the place, find the backdoor, and make sure there's no surprises' waitin' for us. Then we go in. You let me do the talkin' and follow my lead, got that?"

"Got it."

When they got closer to the Club they circled around to the back, staying out of sight of the front entrance. Eliot quickly scaled the fence with Chin right behind. They walked discretely across the back corner of the parking lot and headed in the direction of the boathouses and away from the main building. Instead of heading down the row with the boat enclosures Eliot headed down the open dock lined with fancy boats. When they were about half way along Eliot stopped and pulled a small pair of binoculars from his pocket. Using these, he surveyed the row of boathouses across the way.

"Yup, he's there. Got at least two guys with him. Idiot." Eliot huffed in a slightly amused tone. "Come on, let's get this over with."

He headed back the way they'd come and started towards the boathouse where the contact was waiting. When they stepped inside the man waiting turned nervously towards them. The two thugs with him stepped forward to stand between the man and the two approaching.

"Well now, Decker, I'm hurt!" Eliot called amusedly to the man as they approached. "Long time no see, and this is how you greet me? Your memory must be bad if you think two guys is gonna be enough. I think I should be insulted."

"Spencer!" the man, Decker, nervously bit out. "What do you want?"

"Ah, come on now man, YOU owe me." Joking tone leaving as Eliot growled out the last word. "Remember?"

The man swallowed convulsively and repeated, "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Sam Keller. Heard he was in town, thought a little reunion was in order." Eliot responded.

Decker choked, his eyes darting nervously around, "Sam Keller? What makes you think I would know how to find him?"

"Don't play with me Decker." Eliot growled his arms folded as he glared at the man. "You are the second best black market mover in the Pacific. You know when things are going down; you make it your job to know. SO TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"I can't do that Spencer." He bit out, slightly angry now and considerably less nervous Chin noticed worriedly. Decker flashed a slightly twisted smile all of a sudden and pulled a gun out of nowhere to point at them. Chin reached for his weapon but stopped when he realized there were three more thugs behind them. The two in front hadn't made any moves yet but that was looking to change any moment now.

To Chin's surprise Eliot simply smirked at the man pointing the gun at them. "Really?" he asked clearly unfazed. "So, not as much of an idiot for bringing more guys, but clearly a complete imbecile for thinking that you'll get away with pointing a gun at _me_."

"OH COME now Spencer! You're unarmed and your buddy here won't be any help to you. Since when did you have a sidekick anyway? You work alone. _Anyway_, I am the one with the gun!" Decker shouted.

"You owe me. I'm giving you one warning and this is it. Tell me where to find Samuel Keller, NOW." Eliot stated in a seriously threatening tone.

"NO WAY! I have a gun! I don't have to do anything you say! GET HIM!" Decker shouted at the thugs.

As the thugs moved in Chin stepped up to meet them. He almost didn't need to. Before he could even swing his fist at the first thug two of them were on the ground writhing in pain. Eliot had moved lightning fast, kicking out the knee of one while swinging a hard right straight into the jaw of another. Both collapsed, one holding his knee and moaning while the other just lay stunned. Before they had even hit the ground though, Eliot had already moved on to the next two. An elbow to the face of the one coming from behind and a hard hit to the solar plexus of the other had one down gasping for air and the other bent over clutching a nose that was now spouting blood. A knee to the head and that one was down too.

It was as the third thug hit the deck that Chin's fist connected with his target. By his second swing the fourth thug was down and Eliot was headed toward Decker who was holding the gun in shaking hands and trying to back away.

"Stay down" Eliot growled at the moaning thug as he advanced on Decker. Chin had his opponent down and stepped towards Eliot just as he knocked the gun out of Decker's hand and grabbed the man by the throat. He was terrified and in shock. Apparently things hadn't gone quite as he'd planned. Chin could relate. As he took in the scene around him he couldn't help but be impressed.

"Damn, you got skills bro," Chin said appreciatively. Eliot smirked and then turned back to Decker, serious once again.

"Now, is that any way to repay a debt?" Eliot growled as he pushed Decker against the wall of the boathouse. The trembling man clutched at Eliot's hand and feebly tried to free himself.

"Ahhh, ummmm... ahh….." Decker struggled to form words but between the hand at his throat and the vivid anger in the face of the man that hand was attached to he was finding it a bit difficult.

"Now, I'm gonna ease up a bit and then you're gonna tell me what I want to know. Right? Cause I seriously doubt you'll like the alternatives…." Eliot trailed off suggestively as he did as he'd said. Decker gulped in air

"KkkkkKeller is holed up in a vacation house in Moana Valley…..but that's all I know, I don't know his plans or anything!" he shakily exclaimed.

"How many guys he's got?" Eliot asked him.

"I don't know! Maybe six, maybe a dozen…. I've got no clue! Please just don't kill me!"

"I ain't gonna kill you," Eliot grinned savagely and as Decker sagged visibly in relief added while nodding his head at Chin, "but he's gonna arrest you."

"He's a cop! Ahhh… crap!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo

Kono sat on the couch across from Mr. and Mrs. Orson, Melina's parents, a glass of lemonade held in her hands.

"I am really very sorry to be bothering you right now; I know this is a hard time for you. I just want you to know that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that Melina gets home safe." Kono told the grief stricken couple.

"She's our baby girl, why would anyone want to take her?" Mrs. Orson asked as she cried into her hands.

"You said you had some questions for us Officer Kalakaua? Anything we can do to help you find our girl." her father stated strongly through his obvious pain.

"Please, it's Kono." She told them. "And I was just wondering if there was any reason you might know of why your daughter might be taken? What can you tell me about her work, her personal life? Anything that might help us find her or the people who did this."

"I don't know. She's always been a good girl. I know work has been busy lately, but there's been nothing out of the ordinary as far as I know. I don't know why someone would do this!" Mrs. Orson answered.

Mr. Orson added, "She is very talented at her job. She can make almost anything! She's probably the best on the island. You think this has to do with her work?"

"It looks like that." Kono told him. "Don't worry though; we'll bring her back to you."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooo

The task-force reassembled once again at the Five-0 headquarters.

"So, you not only managed to get a possible location for Keller but while you were at it you also managed to arrest five hired thugs and a black market smuggler?" Danny asked Chin incredulously.

"What can I say? Apparently the man knows how to make stuff happen." Chin said as he confirmed Danny's question. Eliot simply stood there smirking, yet again.

Kono emerged from her office at that point and addressed the group. "Fong finished the ballistic report. The rounds match those from a string of convenient store robberies believed to have been committed by members of the Samoan gang."

"So, they got the guns from the Samoans" Steve said as he too joined the group, putting away his cell as he did. "That was HPD. They finally got the vault at the jewelry store open. Apparently the manager was dirtier than we thought; there was a whole host of stolen goods stashed there. No wonder he didn't want us going in there. That, plus the fact that it was probably him that drugged the guards means he's in for a whole lot of jail time."

_What? Some three or so hours later and they only now had the vault open?_ Eliot thought to himself as he remembered a thief he knew who could have gleefully had it open in under four minutes, timing herself on a stopwatch while she did it. _NO, stop going there man! _He scolded himself. _They're gone. Get your head back in the game!_ And with that he forced himself back to the conversation going on around him.

"There are hundreds of vacation homes though out Moana Valley," Chin was saying. "However, I was able to narrow it down to about 30 possible locations when I factored in lease dates, the need for privacy, and security. We have some plain-clothes doing drive bys to some of the more accessible ones to see if they can ID the spot Keller is staying."

"Decker couldn't give us anything else to help narrow down the search some more?" Steve asked.

"Nah, he didn't know exactly where he was staying. Just the area." Eliot responded.

"Well, maybe we can try a different approach." Kono suggested. "We find the Samoans who sold those guns to Keller, maybe they can give us a lead."

"Right. Kono, you and Chin keep trying to narrow down the search. Danny, let's go pay a visit to Kamekona. You're coming too, Eliot. I think you'll enjoy this one." Steve said with a grin.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooo

A short time later the three pulled up next to the shrimp truck. "How much cash you got on you?" Steve asked Eliot.

"Ninety-three dollars. Why?" he responded.

"Cause your gonna need it. This contact…. likes to be appreciated."

"So, why am I footing the bill with your contact?" Eliot asked slightly irritated.

"Cause I forgot my wallet and you'll _really_ like the shrimp!" Steve responded as he got out of the car. With a slight growl Eliot followed and Danny climbed out after.

As they approached Kamekona saw them coming and came forward to meet them. "Well! If it isn't my favorite customers who always pay so nicely! I've got a new special going today! Spicy pineapple shrimp! Will that be three orders?"

"Not just yet Kamekona," Steve addressed him. "Kamekona, this is a friend of mine, Eliot Spencer. Eliot, Kamekona; the best shrimp truck and best intel guy on the island."

"Spencer huh?" Kamekona leaned back slightly. "That name have some serious weight in the underworld bra. Whatchu doin' with these two coppers?"

"Don't spread it around, but you could say I've turned over a new leaf."

"Ho! Them Robin Hood rumors true then?"

"How'd those rumors get out to this spec in the water?"

"I got a buddy with a friend, spend some time in the joint in LA. Said he was innocent and Robin Hood come along and prove it."

"Ain't that something." Eliot said noncommittally.

"Anyway," Steve interrupted bringing them back to the issue at hand, "We need your help Kamekona. We're looking to find a girl that's been kidnapped. We think we might be able to get a lead by tracking the guns. The guns were probably sold to the kidnappers by the Samoans who've been hitting the convenience stores all over the island. Think you can point us in the right direction?"

"Let me get you some shrimp" the big Hawaiian said then headed back towards his truck. The three men sat around at one of the picnic tables and waited for him to come back.

"Is shrimp code for 'location of Samoan gangsters'?" Eliot asked.

"Hopefully it means both shrimp and a location." Steve responded optimistically.

"Why do people on this island have to put pineapple in everything? It's seafood! Not a fruit salad!" Danny complained.

"Danny, it's like a part of Hawaiian culture. Pineapple is one of the main sources of revenue for the island." Steve said, defending his island.

"Yeah and lunatic tourists being another." Danny retorted.

Just then Kamekona returned bearing a tray. "Three baskets of freshly made spicy pineapple shrimp coming up! Let me know what you think, eh?" He said as he placed the tray on the table.

"Wow, this looks fantastic!" Steve said.

"Yeah, pineapple." Danny said unenthusiastically as the other two both reached for a taste. "So, about those Samoans?"

"Yeah, I think I may have something that will help you… You gonna pay for these shrimp?" Kamekona asked.

"These are good man," Eliot said as he reached for his wallet. "You ever think of adding some Tabasco for a little more kick? It pairs nicely with the cayenne." He handed over a twenty and Kamekona rubbed it between his fingers.

"D'is a little lonely bra…" he said and as Eliot handed over two more bills he smiled and replied, "Yeah, I'll try that next time. Good suggestion."

"Now, about those Samoans?" Danny reminded him.

"Yeah, I think you probably find them at a bar in Aiea. There a place some of thems hang out sometime."

"Thanks man," Steve told him. "Sorry we can't stick around to finish, great shrimp though!" As he finished speaking they'd already slid off the benches at the picnic table and were headed back towards the car.

"I'll save these for you for later!" Kamekona called after them.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooo

They pulled up across the street from the bar Kamekona had directed them to a short while later. It was grungy looking and conveniently (for the Samoans) located in a bad looking neighborhood. There was a rather large, heavily muscled, Samoan covered in tribal tattoos sitting in a chair outside the door.

"Well, I guess we know we're in the right spot!" Danny observed sarcastically.

"Let's go say hello." Steve climbed out of the car. As the three of them approached the door, the Samoan stood arms crossed and glowered at them.

"Dis a private place. No howlies. You best be headed out a'fore your car disappears."

"Yeah, see, about that…" Steve said as he pulled out his badge. "Five-0. We wanna talk to your boss. So we gonna do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"Please say hard way." Eliot growled in anticipation.

"You cops? You gotta warrant?"

"You see, this is a public facility. You know how I can tell?" Danny asked him as he pointed, "That sign, right there. So, no. We don't need a warrant. But what we can do is arrest you for interfering in a police investigation. SO, why don't you move out of our way and we'll go see your boss."

The Samoan glowered, but stepped aside and allowed them to walk into the bar. Eliot didn't fail to notice that he followed them inside. The inside of the bar was considerably less shabby than would be expected given the drab appearance of the outside. It was also mostly empty, not really surprising considering the time of day. There was however a group of three men seated at the corner booth as well as several others scattered about the room.

Steve made a beeline for the booth the second he cleared the door. Eliot veered towards the bar and leaned casually against it taking in his surroundings. From this position he had a clear view of the place and would be in easy striking distance to either the group of muscle at the other end of the bar or the three in the corner booth. Danny trailed after Steve, stopping a pace or so behind him to keep a clear look out. This also stopped the big guy from out front from closing in any further without being totally obvious.

"D'eys Five-0." The door guard directed at the table. The whole bar which had stopped all activity at their entrance shifted slightly at this revelation. Their attention sharpened and the tension in the bar ratcheted up another notch.

"We're looking for some guns. Guns you sold to certain individuals who used those guns in a robbery and kidnapping this morning during which two people were killed." Steve addressed the group at the table.

"Don't know what your talkin' bout." The 'boss' said as he leaned back with his arms along the top of the booth. "Who you think you are? Bunch of howlies walkin' in my place, sticking noses where de don't belong. Coppers better mind theys own business; stay outta ours."

"You see, there's a girl missing. And that makes it our business. Those guns you sold, that makes it yours. So you better help me find who you sold them too or I'll make sure you go down kidnapping and murder." Steve threatened. The 'boss' tossed a look at the gang members gathered around and the bar exploded into action.

The door guy made a grab for Danny but luck was on his side, he evaded and came up swinging. Eliot met the rest of the gang as they dove in and Steve went for those at the table. As they moved in on Eliot, he decided to clear the playing field a little. He grabbed a bar stood and swung, knocking two guys back into the others causing a domino effect. Several managed to avoid the tangled pile of limbs and stool and came swinging. He caught a fist, wincing as it tugged at his still injured arm. He retaliated with a head butt and shoved the buy back on top of the pile that had just begun to disentangle itself. Meanwhile Steve had shoved the table back into the booth, pinning the three men sitting there and winding them slightly as the force of the table rammed into their stomachs. Just as Danny bounced back from taking a swing at the big guy, Eliot ducked another aimed his way and with a quick series of jabs had his opponent tossed onto the growing and squirming pile.

"Hey guys, a little help here! It's like hitting an anvil!" Danny called as he shook out his wrist and backed further away from the advancing behemoth. He angled his retreat towards the bar and Eliot moved forward to intercept the giant. As he moved towards the much larger opponent the man grinned, picked up a table, and tossed it in his direction. Eliot swore and dove to the side, managing to miss the majority of the mass headed his way but still getting clipped enough to end up knocked flat. Steve used the giant's distraction with swinging the table to ram into the man in a move that would have had a smaller man on the floor. This time it merely shoved him back a few steps off balance as he returned the shove and Steve fell back to bump into another table.

Danny decided to pull a trick out of Eliot's book and went for a bar stool. Eliot rose, cradling his still sore ribs that did not like getting a table tossed at them, and growled. He met Steve's eyes and a silent understanding passed between the two men. They charged the giant simultaneously, forcing him roughly up against the bar, and then moving aside quickly as Danny brought the stool swinging hard. The giant was stunned but still had some fight. He tried to rise but was met with a mean right hook from Steve and was finally finished when Eliot grabbed his head and helped it make an unpleasant acquaintance with the counter of the bar.

The three left standing quickly caught their breath and glanced around to clear the area of more attackers. None were forthcoming. The whole confrontation had taken only moments. Steve grinned smugly, having thoroughly enjoyed himself.

"Think you can book 'im Danno?" he asked his partner.

"Oh damn it! Steve…." And he looked in the direction his partner had indicated.

The Samoan boss was gone.

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! (sorry for the mild cliff hanger, I thought I should at least get _something_ posted). This one didn't seem to flow as smoothly as the other ones. Hope it didn't come across so much in the reading. I will try to wrestle the next one together better. Until then- Aloha!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: OH SAD DAY! HOOOWWWWLLL! And tears. It is a sad thing when one of your favorite shows is canceled. I mourn with you all. But that is enough of that. We can all cry more later, I know I will. I'm still in the denial stage of mourning. Oh well.

First- sorry for the great length of time between updates. I went home for the holidays and was wicked busy AND without my computer and then I was sick for a week (nasty cold- grumbles). Speaking of which (re: Holidays!), Merry New Year and best wishes to you all in the coming year! May it be a wonderful adventure and bring you many exciting and profitable opportunities. And yes I know in this country we say "Happy New Year"-see Trading Places with Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy. Fun times.

Second- Thanks again for all the reviews. They really do keep me writing. And for those who mentioned it, I'm glad you liked the fight scenes. I was worried they wouldn't come across very smoothly. This whole thing is sooo far away from what I usually write. It's a learning experience. When I write it **I** can see what I want to happen, I just don't know if it comes across in the words. Matt, about Kamekona =D that's what I figured too. I thought someone should show a little appreciation for how awesome Eliot is. And if I made it one of the Five-0 team they would probably have to arrest him… hehehee… nas2439, I don't know yet if that will be part of the mission that Eliot helps Steve with; I guess we'll find out together! I know generally where I am taking this story, just need to add in all the juicy details. tvj12, thanks for the recommend. I don't remember if I've read that one or not, but I am totally going to look it up (in like 3 minutes literally) and either read/reread it cause I seriously need me some Leverage. Especially now. Sigh…. Oh well. I'm glad that you've enjoyed it so far. Hope I can keep it going good. And the rest of the Leverage team WILL make a new appearance in the second part of the story. They will be very involved. Gotta take care of this baddie first though.

Third- WARNING SERIOUSLY SHORT CHAPTER. Sorry about that. I won't make more excuses (see above if you want them) I just figured it had been so long I should at least post something so you guys know this is still alive and kicking. And I figured if you're like me, you want some Leverage right about now. **So… here it is~**

The Samoan boss was gone.

Eliot's eyes quickly flashed around the room, searching out a possible location or direction for escape. At the tale tell swinging of the door behind the bar he was gone. Up and over the bar and in pursuit. The whole fight (or fights as it were) had only taken a few moments, but it had been enough. The boss had used their distraction with the behemoth to wiggle free of the table and sneak out through the back. Apparently he must have been saved a winding from the table by sitting in the corner.

"Do ya got this?" Steve queried of Danny.

"Sure" he said looking around with a put upon expression and a sigh. "Go ahead." At that Steve bolted after Eliot and Danny pulled out his cell to call for back up.

As Eliot dashed through the kitchen in pursuit he caught a glimpse of the fleeing criminal as he headed out the back door. By the time Eliot had reached it, yanking it open to follow, he heard Steve coming through the door from the bar and into the kitchen. Not waiting, Eliot charged through the door, jumping down the steps outside and high tailing it down the alley at the back just as the object of his pursuit rounded the corner. Spotting a fire escape on the building behind the bar Eliot headed towards it, shouting at Steve and pointing as he did so, "That way!" indicating that Steve should take the direct approach.

Eliot swiftly climbed the escape as Steve took off down the alley. He reached the roof of the second story building and mentally reviewed the map he had comprised of the area as they drove through. Not pausing to check his bearings, relying purely on his well honed skills and instincts, he charged across the roof. Reaching the edge where the current building butted up against the next he dropped down onto the slightly lower roof. Running to the edge overlooking the outlet of the alley behind the bar he was able to see Steve still in hot pursuit of their quarry as he evaded them through a car filled parking lot. Eliot continued running along the edge of the roof, following the chase at a slightly paralleled angle.

He navigated his way over the rooftops until he reached the location he'd remembered from his map. _Perfect timing!_ He thought to himself as he reached the edge of the current roof he was traversing just moments before the Samoan passed by underneath. Not hesitating for a moment Eliot leaped with precise aim, his fall broken perfectly by the Samoan as they landed in a crumpled heap on the ground. Seconds later Steve rounded the corner to join the party as Eliot pushed himself up whilst simultaneously shoving the other man down.

"Damn, for a big guy he's kind of fast!" Steve commented as they both quickly caught their breath and the Samoan moaned from the ground.

Eliot none too gently nudged the Samoan with his boot. "You ready to cooperate yet man?" he growled.

Steve squatted down next to the man's head saying as he did so, "You know, you probably wanna think really hard about what your options are right now. Cause none of them are looking too good at the moment. Tell us where to find the guns and the people who bought them or you're in for a world of hurt."

"You can't do nothin' to me, you'se cops!" the downed man wheezed.

Eliot bent down, arm against knee, and met the man's eyes. "He may be a cop, but I sure as hell ain't." he said in a tone that left the Samoan swallowing hard.

"Hey! I'm not just some cop. I'm Five-0. That means that I have immunity and means from the governor to do what I see fit to get the job done." Steve interjected. "And right now, we've got someone who basically amounts to a terrorist running loose on the island with a bunch of guns and a woman that he's kidnapped. Do you know what that means?" The Samoan shook his head. "That means that I can get away with a whole lot."

"What you gonna do? Arrest me?" the Samoan tried to brazen it out.

Steve rose laughing and shaking his head, "accidentally" stepping on the Samoan as he did so. "Eliot, did you hear me read him is rights? Nope, me neither. You see, that was the deal in the bar. Now, the deal's changed. You gonna help us or do we need to get creative?"

"Hey man, you want me to find some jumper cables or something or you wanna play this like we did back in Laos?" Eliot asked Steve causing the Samoan's eyes to widen.

"That could be fun," Steve responded, "although the set up is a pain. We could always do that thing with the dogs. But again, not much left to get answers from with that…" at this point the Samoan was almost begging.

"Also a problem when using sharks, huh?" Eliot mused aloud.

"PLEASE arrest me! I'll tell you whatever you want; you don't need no dogs or cables or nothing!"

"Really? Cause it'd be no trouble. What've you got that's gonna change my mind?" Steve asked.

"I sold the guns to a man goin' by de name Hilts. I know that's not his real name but if you want that I can't help you."

"Is that all you got?" Eliot growled "cause that's not enough to get you out of this."

"I got more!" the Samoan rushed. "He ordered two shipments! One was delivered to a warehouse North Shore. Smaller one sent to house in Moana Valley. I got the addresses and everything man! But that's it! I don't know nothin' bout no kidnappin'. Honest!"

"Think he's telling the truth?" Steve asked Eliot.

"Yeah," Eliot shook his head in the affirmative.

"Yeah," Steve relied, "me too. Alright bubb, you're under arrest. Happy?"

As Steve knelt to put the cuffs on their prisoner Eliot chuckled and said, "Dogs? Really?"

Steve chuckled too as he replied, "Yeah, what you imagine is always waaaay worse than the alternative."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo

Back at the bar they handed the Samoan boss over to the HPD officers who had arrived as back up and were in the process of rounding up the rest of the gang to take in for booking. Danny approached them with his hands on his hips. "Well," he said "how'd it go?"

"He gave us two addresses. I've already got Chin and Kono digging up whatever they can on them." Steve told him as he pulled out his cell as it rang and answered "Chin, yep. Okay, sounds good. We'll meet you there. Oh and Chin?" he looked at Eliot as he continued "bring the extra go bag from my office will you? Thanks."

Ending the call, he looked the other two in the eyes and said, "Let's go get this guy."

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Note: I had not planned on ending the chapter here, but just needed to post something. More to come. Hope you enjoyed. Once again, ideas and constructive criticism are most welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Soooo, yeah. Writer's block and life. Thus great spans of time between updates. Plus no beta and it's incredibly late- so sorry for any incoherent-ness. The only reason this is up at all is cause Matt's review got me thinking, What actually is in Steve's go bag? And besides what I mention in the chapter there is a lot more of what you might imagine a Navy SEAL might find handy in any given circumstance (plus sneaky military stuff). I'll leave some of it to your imagination. =D But you should all thank Matt that there is a chapter at all. SO thank you Matt for your review! Hope you all enjoy! **Chapter 6:**

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As they approached the "maintenance" van Eliot couldn't help but give a sad smile as a memory hit him. _Parker: "FBI? Where?" Hardison: "See that crappy van? Says plumber?" Sophie laughing: "Did you say plumber? Oh ho ho! That is so cute! It's like its 1978 all over again!" _Damn it! He told himself, Snap out of it. To distract himself he turned to Steve and said, "Really? Maintenance? You do know that van just screams law enforcement, right?"

Steve rolled his eyes and pulled open the back door. "Just get in the van Eliot" he said.

The van was parked several blocks away from the address of the warehouse that the Samoan had given them. And _seriously_, Eliot thought, _what is it with bad guys and warehouses? I mean, come on! How much more cliché can you get?_ _Then again…_ he shot a glance at the "maintenance" van and climbed inside. Kono was waiting for them, listening to a set of headphones connected to the equipment set up in the back.

"HPD is closing down the area and we've got a laser mic trained on the warehouse. We don't want to spook them though so they're holding back for now." She said in greeting.

"What've we got?" Steve asked as he climbed in after Danny and shut the door.

"Thermal shows approximately 12 bodies; there's too much interference in this one spot to know for sure, but that's what I'd guess. I'm thinking this over here might be Melina" Kono responded, pointing out individual spots on the monitor as she spoke.

Just then Kono's briefing was interrupted by the arrival of Chin. He climbed in the back of the now very crowded van wearing a bullet proof vest with a black duffle slung over one shoulder and a shot gun slung over the other. He tossed the duffle towards Steve who caught it effortlessly.

"Okay, this is how we're going to play this" Steve began, "Chin, you and Kono take the far entrance. Danny, you're with me. We'll go in the front door and keep them busy. Eliot, I want you to find an... alternative entrance. Get in there, get to Melina and make sure this doesn't turn into a hostage standoff. When you have your entrance, we'll move and keep the bad guys distracted to give you time to get her out. Once she's clear HPD can come in and help us sweep up the rest."

This was met with various gestures and noises of affirmation from all. At this Steve turned to his bag and the rest of the Five-0 team started gearing up. Reaching into the bag he pulled out a vest and tossed it to Eliot saying "Wear it." Eliot rolled his eyes and started pulling it on. "This too," Steve added as he handed him a gun.

"Steve." Was all Eliot said in response.

"You don't have to use it, but your gonna wear it. You are going in as a member of my task force and you're going in armed or you can wait here. Understand?"

"Man your bossy!" he smirked, "Okay, I'll wear it. But I'm not using it. You know I don't use guns outside of military ops."

"Fine." Steve replied as he turned back to the duffle and pulled out several small charges of C4. Tossing one to Chin, who caught it, startled and just looked from Steve to the C4 and back. Then he asked, "You sure you should be tossing explosives around in an enclosed space?"

Steve laughed as he said, "Relax, C4 is one of the most stable plastic explosives. That's one of its many benefits. It's not going to go off till we tell it to. Use it on the door. That should distract them a bit."

"I'll say." Danny commented. "You do realize that we don't _want_ the entire building leveled? Right?"

"Really, relax! These charges are so small they'll barely blow the door." Eliot added, "Hey, do you have any det cord in that bag?"

"Some, what do you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking I just found my alternative entrance." Eliot said with a _gleam_ in his eyes and a big smile.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o

Eliot had quietly made his way around to the side of the warehouse nearest the room they suspected Melina was being held in. As he carefully placed the det cord in place he listened to the Five-0 team getting into position from the earpiece looped over his ear. Fiddling with the obvious piece of tech once again he shook his head and couldn't help but think about something he _wasn't_ supposed to allow himself to! Focusing back on the task at hand he looked up as he heard a noise approaching his location. Ducking behind a stack of boxes against the warehouse wall he waited for the steps to come closer. As the guard passed by his position, Eliot stepped up behind him and slid his arms around his throat in a choke hold. The guard struggled, but Eliot applied just the right amount of pressure and soon the guard was unconscious.

"Hey, guys," Eliot whispered as he tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of its tie behind his ear. "If they don't know we're here already, they will soon. I just had to take down a guard. Watch your backs. There may be more out here than we thought. Det cord is ready on your mark Steve."

"Copy. Chin? Kono?" Steve replied.

"In position and ready to go Boss." Kono replied.

"On one… 3… 2… 1!" Steve's command was met with a loud boom, static bursting through the comms, and the sounds of commotion breaking the quiet of the surrounding area. As the dust settled, Eliot stepped quickly over the rubble and through the new hole the det cord had opened in the wall. Moving into the warehouse and swiftly out of the light silhouetting him from behind he let his eyes adjust and scanned the room he now found himself in. His gaze soon found the only occupant of the room. Seated at a table in front of a computer and various other technical and electronic gizmos, was a very shocked young man. Quickly shaking off his initial shock at the explosion and the unexpected arrival of Eliot through the wall, the young man reached for a handgun sitting on the table next to the computer. Before the gun had even been raised into position, Eliot was across the room and in one smooth motion was in possession of the gun which was shortly in pieces on the floor. Fist connected with face and the previously gun wielding opponent was unconscious on the floor.

"Shit. Guys? Melina's not here." Eliot informed the team.

"Damn" was Steve's reply. "We've got three down at the front. But there are still six guys in the way. How's it look on your end?"

"We've got four back here boss. We should be through in another minute." Chin answered.

"Steve, I'm coming in." Eliot said. "I'll get'em from the back. Any sign of Keller?"

"Not yet. But we know he's here somewhere, we got a voice match from the mic." Kono replied.

Eliot crossed to the door and eased it open, listening to the exchange of gunfire on the other side. Slipping through the doorway he muttered into the comms, "You better not shoot me."

His footsteps silent he made his way up behind the nearest thug taking cover behind some boxes as they fired towards the front door where Steve and Danny were. Tapping him on the shoulder, the man turned and was completely surprised at the attack from a direction he had thought was secure. He tried to bring his gun to bear on Eliot but the action was interrupted when an elbow collided with his face, effectively breaking his nose. His hand instinctively clutched at the bleeding mess as his gun was jerked from his grasp, disassembled, and tossed aside. Eyes wide with surprise rolled back into his head and closed when said head made violent contact with the box he had been using as cover.

As the thug slid noisily to the floor, unconscious (_five_), his buddies looked back from their positions covering the door and Eliot was amused at the range of surprised expressions that met his gaze. He smiled _that_ smile and made a 'bring it' motion with his hand. As the men facing him made to move the direction of their aim, he closed the distance. Standing in their midst so they wouldn't (he hoped) fire without risking hitting their allies, he attacked. Kicking out the knees of the closest he grabbed the gun arm of a second man and swung him into the one he'd kicked, simultaneously taking the gun and disposing of it. The first man crashed to the ground and was out with a steel toed boot to the head (_four_) while the second crash landed on top of him.

While guy number two struggled to rise, Eliot threw a punch at the next in line and then grabbed him in a headlock. Kicking out again, guy two also became acquainted with a steel toed boot (_three_). At this point Steve and Danny, having taken advantage of Eliot's distraction, had closed the distance and now had the remaining thugs in their sights.

"Drop it!" Danny demanded of the last two men (excluding the one struggling weakly against Eliot's headlock) gesturing with his gun as he did so. The men hesitated, assessing their options as they looked back and forth between the two cops and Eliot. As Eliot let the now unconscious man fall to the floor (_two_) the men realized the hopelessness of their situation (plus being outnumbered) and lowered their guns to the floor in surrender.

"Now, hands in the air!" Steve barked at them and kept them covered while Danny stepped forward to quickly frisk them and soon both were cuffed and forced against the nearby boxes. "HPD, you're clear to move in from the front." Steve announced into his radio to the officers waiting on the sidelines. "Chin, Kono? Report."

"We've got a bit of a situation on this end, boss. Keller's decided to join the party." Chin's voice was dry, but a slight undercurrent of worry caused the three on the other side of the warehouse to exchange glances.

"We're on our way." Steve replied as Danny finished fixing a second set of cuffs to the two men who had surrendered so that they would be unable to leave without ripping apart one of the wooden crates or alternatively loosing an arm each. That taken care of the three men moved swiftly to the rear of the warehouse which had fallen ominously silent. Arriving moments later, they were met with a discouraging sight.

Chin and Kono had worked their way from the back door to take cover behind a small pallet of boxes and a forklift. Directly across from them, behind their own cover, was a group of three thugs. And Keller. Who was currently holding a gun to the temple of a terrified Melina Orson. Her hands were bound in front of her with zip ties and there was a cloth tied over her mouth. She was biting down on it and her eyes kept darting between the two opposing forces. Hope and terror fought for dominance in her expression. Keller's expression however was one of coldly vicious triumph. This current predicament explained the silence that had fallen after the gun battle that ensued when the Five-0 officers breached the door.

While the three new arrivals took in the scene from behind their own cover to the side of this little showdown, Keller also took note of their arrival. Grinning widely, he jammed the gun a little harder against Melina's head, producing a slight whimper. "Come any closer and she gets it in the head!" he said savagely. Looking over the three more closely, his gaze froze on Eliot's menacing expression and some of the triumph faded from his eyes. "Spencer!" he spat out.

"Keller." Eliot growled through his teeth and his glare became, if possible, even more menacing. "Fallen down the ranks a little haven't you? Not that you were ever very high anyway. Second rate more like and that's if I'm being generous." Eliot continued, intentionally ribbing him. "Never figured you for knocking over two penny jewelry stores, though. You really that desperate?"

Keller's face which had become progressively red during Eliot's speech, had reached a brilliant crimson when he exploded, "I AM THE BEST" He took several deep breaths, his hands shaking with rage. "You always thought you were so smart Spencer!" He said his name as a curse. "You have no position here and you know it. I HAVE THE GIRL!" He turned smug once again as he regained his cool and mentally reassured himself of his superiority in the situation. "Now, this is how this is going to work. Ms. Orson and myself are going to walk out of here. You are going to ensure that the HPD officers, which I am sure, are keeping a tight ring around this location, do not get in my way." This was punctuated with another jab of the gun. "NOW, lower your weapons and radio your little friends because as much fun as this has been, it's time for my men and I to take our leave."

"Not happening." Steve replied grimly. "You hurt her, you're dead. And you know it."

"Well, now. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way then!" Keller smiled insanely and suddenly the gun was pointing at them and chaos erupted once more as bullets went flying from all directions. Still firing, Keller was dragging Melina to the door while his goons kept the team pinned down under fire. As Keller made it to the door, with two of his goons still with him and firing (the others down and out for the count) Eliot swore. "Ahh hell no! This is so not happening!" With that he was up and running, regardless of the hail of bullets, he bolted after them. He made it to the door and leaned against the wall beside it, taking cover and waiting for a break to dive through. When it came he moved quickly, realizing too late that the pause in the hail of gunfire was due to the fact that the object of his pursuit was currently peeling out of there in a black SUV, burning rubber as they sped away. Eliot cursed again until he spotted the bike parked next to the remaining cars behind the warehouse. Like a shot he had mounted the bike and preceded to hotwire it. He gunned the engine and tore after the retreating SUV.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

As Eliot tore after the retreating criminals, Steve swore as well, "DAMN IT!" reaching for his radio he called up the HPD frequency and started barking orders as he too ran to the door with the others close behind him. They saw Eliot and the SUV swerve around the corner and Steve passed the information along to HPD "We've got a late model SUV, black. One friendly in pursuit. I repeat, red motorcycle is a friendly! One civilian in the SUV, bad guys are armed and dangerous! Suspected heading is currently south-west on Liana Street towards the Kam. Five-0 is in pursuit. Request back up and road blocks! Move in and secure the warehouse!" While he had been relaying the relevant information to HPD, they had all been making their way as swiftly as they could back to their vehicles.

Chin reached his bike first, as it was closest, and speedily joined the chase. Kono peeled after them in the van while Steve and Danny raced towards the Camero. While it was parked the farthest, Steve more than made up for it with speed once they too joined the chase.

"Ahhhh! Watch it!" Danny cringed and gripped the handle on the passenger side as Steve maneuvered in and around buildings, cars, and other obstacles to cut the distance between them and their pursuit.

"I've got the SUV! They're heading south!" Chin announced, wind muffling his words.

"Any sign of Eliot?" Steve asked.

"No… wait. There he is… damn!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

As the SUV swerved around the corner from the warehouse, Eliot followed, hot on their tail. At least until the passenger side window rolled down and the occupant started firing back at him. Well, this wasn't working! There were four ways to stop a larger vehicle with a bike like this and Eliot wasn't looking forward to _any_ of them right now. Still, it had been his job to make sure that this exact situation _didn't_ happen and he'd be damned if he didn't do his best to fix it. Yeah, sure, their intel had been wrong and Melina hadn't been where they'd thought. But that didn't mean much in his book.

He turned the bike off the SUV's tail and down an alley, he really didn't like getting shot and wasn't particularly keen on it happening again so soon. He picked up speed, watching the SUV as it flashed by between buildings on the street parallel to the alley. _Well_, he though, _worked once today!_ He sped up again so that he pulled ahead of the black vehicle. _Almost…there!_ He turned the bike in a sharp 90 degree angle and just before he reached the street the SUV was barreling down, leaned hard to the right, throwing the bike down on its side. He leaped clear just before his leg would have been trapped beneath the skidding motorcycle and rolled, momentum carrying him along the asphalt next to the bike throwing sparks as it scraped and skidded along.

The speeding SUV didn't have time to stop. It slammed into the skidding bike; front wheels trying to roll over it, only to have it get hung up underneath the engine. The driver slammed on the brakes and swerved, even though it was already too late. The front right tire blew and the car crashed into a telephone pole. Which snapped under the force of the hit and fell, crashing onto the roof of the car. Eliot rolled to a stop, quite thankful that at least the SUV hadn't hit him. He shakily caught his breath, adrenalin coursing through his veins. _Wow, haven't pulled that one in a while_. He pushed himself up and surveyed the wreckage of the vehicles.

The crash had forced the airbags in the front seats to deploy. The driver was definitely unconscious but the passenger was struggling to climb out of the car. Eliot couldn't see through the tinted windows in the back as to the condition of Keller or Melina, but he was sure he would soon find out. The passenger had just managed to push the door open and half leaned out when Eliot stepped up and slammed the door closed, smashing his hand. The man howled and Eliot grabbed the back of his neck and forcibly connected his head with the inside of the door. Before the man had finished falling Eliot yanked the rear passenger door open to finish the job.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Any sign of Eliot?" Steve asked.

"No… wait. There he is… damn!" was Chin's reply as he saw the motorcycle tilt and skid out in front of the speeding SUV with Eliot right behind it.

"Chin! What is it? What do you see?" Steve demanded.

"Uhhhh, Eliot managed to stop them." Chin was still a block away when he saw Eliot leap up and move towards the wreck. He slowed and stopped the bike in a much more appropriate fashion and slung his shotgun into position as he moved forward to assist. Eliot was just pulling open the rear passenger door as Chin moved forward to make sure the driver was truly unconscious. "We're going to need an ambulance here, Steve."

Eliot's first feeling upon opening the door was intense relief. There was Melina. She was bound, but apparently unharmed from the accident. He scanned the rest of the car. "DAMN! Damn, damn, damn!" He swore angrily. "Keller's not here!" He announced over the radio in his ear. Then he recovered as he saw the look of fright on Melina's face. "Don't worry darlin', We'd be the cavalry. Let me get those ties off you." He said as he pulled out one of his many knives, gently gripped her wrists, and cut through the zip ties binding them. As he reached for the gag in her mouth he asked, "Are you hurt?" at the shake of her head he added, "Where's Keller?"

"I, I don't know." She swallowed. "He was with us till we got to the car. He shoved me in and then I didn't see where he went. It all happened so fast!"

"That's alright. Don't you worry now darlin'. You're safe now."

Chin walked around the car to Eliot's side and introduced himself to Melina. "Eliot, here is right miss. You're safe now. We'll get you home to your parents in no time." Turning to Eliot he added, "HPD has the warehouse and the men there secured. There's no sign of Keller." Eliot shook his head in frustration.

"You okay man?" Chin asked with concern.

Eliot looked at Chin then down at himself and realized the reason for the concern. One side of the vest was a shredded mess (thankfully only the top layer). His forearms and elbows were skinned pretty badly and there was a dark stain spreading over his upper arm where he'd been hit by a bullet the week previously.

"Damn, tore the stitches." He sighed as he examined his forearms, "Yeah, I'm okay man. Mostly superficial. The vest took the brunt of it. I'm good."

Shaking his head and looking up as the rest of the team arrived, along with several HPD cars and an ambulance; he said with admiration, "Damn brother, I'm glad you're on our side."

Eliot shook his head and smiled as well. Yeah, Eliot Spencer on the same side as cops and good guys. Who knew that could happen?

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Author's Note: More to come soon! And I believe the rest of the Leverage crew will be making another appearance in Chapter 8. I have already started that part. Just need to play connect the dots. (Grins wickedly) Some surprises in store…..

Reviews are appreciated. =)


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Lately it feels like "Something's Gotta Give" has been the theme song of my life. Right down to the fact that a few days ago I found a hole in the sole of my favorite boots. =( darn. Anywhoo. Reviews make me very happy. So thank you very very much! I am glad that you are enjoying my little tale. I hope you all keep enjoying it and don't hate me too much, cause things are about to get stirred up big time. **And so….**

Eliot was tired. And sore. Barely a week since he had been stabbed, shot, and seriously misused and he had just spent a day involved in three different throw downs (he didn't count KO'ing the guy in the car), two chases, and then a motorcycle crash. Yeah, he had orchestrated it _to crash_, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt. But all in all, it was worth it. They had gotten most of the bad guys and Melina Orson was reunited with her family.

Eliot leaned his head back against the wall with his eyes closed. He was camped out in a chair in Steve's office while the team wrapped up the particulars of the case. Steve had insisted that he let the paramedics look at his forearms and he had grudgingly allowed them to clean and bandage the scrapes. He hadn't let them bother the bullet wound or explained that it was a bullet wound, but had just used the excuse that it was a preexisting injury. But he filched a suture kit from the back of the ambulance when they weren't looking. He had used it in the bathroom once they got back to Five-0 HQ. Luckily only a few of the stitches had come undone. Just enough to bleed a little. All in all, considering his various aches and injuries, the day went pretty well.

Well in all regards except for Keller. Steve had updated him on the way back to the office. HPD had cleaned up at the warehouse and once they had secured the area and the personnel they found there they had given the go ahead to the team watching the house in Moana Valley. They hadn't found much there (asides from a stash of guns and the jewelry from the robbery), nor had there been any sign of Keller. At this point, with his plans disrupted, they figured he must have fled the island. In this regard, Melina had been most helpful. Once she had calmed down and the paramedics had checked her out, Danny and Kono had taken her statement. Apparently Keller had wanted her to create reproductions of some of the more priceless pieces of the Hawaiian Crown jewelry on display at the Iolani Palace. He had gloated about how rich and eccentric his buyer was and apparently had a thing for collecting items of cultural and historical significance. Keller had planned on playing out the Mona Lisa Variant and using Melina to make several copies of each piece to then sell to other buyers in addition to the one he already had lined up.

Thanks to the quick work of the Five-0 team, with Eliot's assistance, Keller's plans were thoroughly squashed. As soon as Melina told them Keller's plans they had called the appropriate people and the security for the exhibits had been tripled. Along with several HPD patrols assigned to sit on the area for the next few weeks in case Keller decided to chance it after all. The governor was very grateful as was the museum curator in charge of the displays. The curator was grateful so much so that they were now all members of the "Friends of Iolani Palace" for life. The best part though had been to see Melina reunited with her parents. There was much hugging, tears, and relieved laughter. Eliot had watched from a distance, just glad that he could help reunite at least one family. _Yes_, he thought to himself, _he missed his family_.

He allowed himself to wallow for a moment; after all, it had been a long day. He heard Steve enter the office and he pulled his feet down from the desk and opened his eyes. Steve walked forward and glanced at the vest and gun that Eliot had discarded on the desk.

"You know you owe me a new vest now right?" Steve asked jokingly as he picked up the gun to put it away, smile turning to a frown as he hefted it.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Eliot rolled his eyes.

"Eliot." Steve's voice was serious. "Why is the magazine not in my gun?"

Eliot raised his eyebrows and gave Steve a look. "You're rusty man. I had the magazine back in your go bag less than two minutes after you handed me that gun. You know I don't roll that way." He finished with a smile and a shake of his head.

"You are incorrigible!" Steve exclaimed as he raised his eyes heavenward as if asking the universe why.

"Ahhh, you know you like me that way." Eliot teased. "'sides, we got the job done. Apart from Keller." Eliot glared as he said the name.

"Don't worry about Keller. He's on our radar now. We'll get him. You ready to go?" Steve asked.

"Whenever you are." Eliot replied. Steve had offered the use of his couch and Eliot had willingly accepted being too tired to want to bother scrounging up some other place to stay. Also, he knew it would be safe. He rode with Steve in his truck, deciding to leave his own bike parked in the Five-0 lot for the moment. It would be there in the morning.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

At Steve's place Eliot lounged against the couch as Steve passed him a beer.

"So, you wanna talk about it?" Steve asked as he took a pull from his own bottle.

"Talk about what?" Eliot evaded as he rolled the bottle back and forth in his hands.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the reason why when I first called to ask for your help you told me you had people who mattered counting on you for a long term job and wouldn't be available. Or about how shortly after that I get a call, out of the blue, from you saying you want in. Or how you show up a week later beat to hell, although you hide it well, acting like nothing's the matter. El, I've known you since the first day of training. I know something's up."

"Hell Steve, you know I think of you like a brother. A big annoying sometimes overprotective brother, but a still a brother." Eliot sighed.

"So does that make you the smart-ass younger brother?" Steve asked with a smirk.

Eliot smirked as well and took a sip from his beer before his face turned serious again. "You really want to know?"

"Wouldn't have asked otherwise."

"Something bad went down. Real bad. Remember Ban Ho Seng? Now multiply that bad by a factor of ten." Steve whistled. "My past almost got them all killed. My team, my family." Eliot looked down as he made this admission aloud.

"Did they kick you out?"

"No, it was my choice. And what happened with Keller today just confirms I'm right. I have too many enemies out there. They are safer if I stay away. Keller and countless others are still out there on the loose. What if next time I didn't make it in time?"

"So you decided to make sure there wouldn't be a next time?" Steve asked. "Did you even say goodbye?"

Eliot mumbled under his breath and took another swig. Steve looked at him with raised eyebrows and Eliot repeated himself, "I left 'em a letter. Explainin'." At seeing Steve's look he added, "'sides, I asked John to look out for them for a few weeks, make sure everything was okay."

"Kelly? And he agreed?" Steve asked surprised.

Eliot gave a weary grin and replied, "He owed me one."

"I'll say." Steve threw back as he sipped from his bottle. "So, what now? You sure you're up for this job?"

"Hell yes!" Eliot replied firmly, with not one ounce of hesitation and in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Alright then, get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll introduce you to the rest of team for the job. _Then_ we start training." Steve announced as he stood and made his way to his room.

"Right…" Eliot finished his beer and leaned back on the couch. He knew he'd better rest up. He'd need it. But sleep was hard to come by when his brain wouldn't quit playing memories of _his_ team.

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Author's Note: Sorry for letting the bad guy get away. Don't worry. He'll be back. (Cue ominous music in the back ground). And thanks for the reviews. They prompted me to get off my posterior and post this. I have just recently discovered Supernatural. And now I am (lovingly but annoyingly) addicted. It is awesome. But I can't seem to stop watching it. Even when I should be doing something else: like, I don't know, sleeping, eating, and writing. You know. It's bad. But in an oh so delicious way. Back on topic: All recognizable characters are not mine- just borrowing them. So bonus points to whoever can tell me who Eliot's friend is. Heheheee….. Now, consider this chapter just a bridge. More coming sooner than you think.


	8. Chapter 8: Prologue Part II

Author's Note: You're spot on moonjat54. Heeheehee…. And we happen to share the same weak spot… mmmmm, yeah, he's yummy. =D

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Nathan Ford was not a happy man. His world had been turned topsy turvey when he became "the honest man" to a group of thieves. And somehow, them being in his life had made things right again. Now, their number had dwindled from five to four. And it was taking a toll on this little (if he was being honest with himself) family of theirs. He wanted to fix that. And they had all been trying. But as of yet, they had come up with absolutely nothing. And so, as days turned into weeks, he had found them clients to distract them all from their missing team mate and their inability to find him. They weren't the same types of jobs as before. They didn't have a hitter to help them and watch their backs. Not to mention that Eliot had been so much more than a hitter to their team. And the "replacement" that Eliot had said was coming in the letter he left for them? He had barely lasted two weeks. Nate huffed out a short laugh at the recollection.

The man had arrived as promised the day after they discovered that Eliot had left. He was about what you would expect. Gruff, secretive, cryptic, and practically had the words "Special Forces" tattooed across his forehead it was so obvious what he did. At least according to Sophie's assessment of the man. In reality, Nate figured, he was the type that could disappear into any crowd or setting at will. Two days after his arrival, the man had informed Nate that he had "neutralized the threat" that was the loose end of missing men from the group that had kidnapped them. Just shy of two weeks after his arrival (weeks spent "upgrading security" [to Hardison's amusement], tailing them for "protection" [to Parker's annoyance], and _lurking_) he had again approached Nate and told him his contract was up. He further explained that there was no further need for his services as the immediate threat had been dealt with. He gave Nate a nondescript business card "if his services should be needed" and told him to "tell Spencer this squares us for what happened in Seoul." With that last cryptic remark and the recommendation that some of them could do with a good psychiatrist he had disappeared as similarly as he had appeared.

And so long John Kelly, Nate thought. You're definitely no Eliot Spencer. There was only one Eliot Spencer. And they desperately needed to find him. It had been _three_ _months_! Three very long months of tirelessly searching as carefully and under the radar as they could. At this point, Nate was just mad. Mad at his hitter for leaving the way he did. Mad at himself for not finding him yet. Mad at the reasons why Eliot felt he had to leave in the first place. He was just tired of all of this and ready for it to be over. He planned on having some very strong words with Eliot if they found him. _Not if_, he told himself, _when_. _When they found him_. Though it was hard to keep up the optimism. It had been three months!

He knew that Eliot was the best at what he did. But so were they. And with seven digits Hardison could find you on Mars. Or so he claimed. They had way more than seven digits on Eliot. They _knew_ him! He had thought they knew him pretty well before all this started. But the lack of any trace, no matter how small, had Nate worried. _What if something happened_? _Had he been injured worse than they thought_? A small voice in the back of him mind asked him. He quickly squashed that voice. They would find Eliot. In the mean time, he had a client meeting down in the bar.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooo

Nate looked thoughtfully across the table at the man he had come here to meet. He was a bit older than Nate, baldheaded, and looked tough as nails.

"Ahhh, Mr…?" Nate began.

"White, Joe White" the man provided.

"Mr. White. I'm not sure exactly what it is that you think we do, but how is it that you happened to find us and how do you think we can help you?" Nate queried as he studied the man.

"I learned about your operation from a good friend of mine." Joe provided. "And my friend needs your help. My boys are missing."

"Uhhuh… Mr. White," Nate began, only to be interrupted.

"Commander. Commander White. But please, call me Joe."

Nate nodded and continued, "I'm sure you're aware, but we are not a detective agency. Are you sure this isn't a problem for the police?"

Joe shook his head, his expression serious. "Mr. Ford. You don't understand. The police don't even know that they're gone."

"What do you mean? You're telling me that your sons are missing and you haven't informed the police?"

"Yes. Because, you might say this isn't exactly a domestic issue." Joe continued, "They are as good as my sons, I trained them. And now they're in trouble and I need to help them."

"Commander," Nate drew a deep breath, "Are you telling me the people you're looking for went missing on a military mission?"

"Something like that" Joe confirmed.

"I'm sorry. I truly am." Nate shook his head. "This isn't our type of case. Especially now. I don't think we can help you."

"Mr. Ford, you're not understanding me. You are the only ones who can help me."

"Mr… Commander White. We can't help you with this. Really. I suggest you contact the military, the government, someone like that that could actually help you. We don't do this."

"Right." Joe looked down at the table his expression grave. He folded his hands together on the table as he slowly looked up and met Nate's eyes. "Then I am afraid it is my sad duty to inform you," he paused and took a deep breath, "that Eliot Spencer has been reported as missing in action and is presumed dead."

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AN: I know, I'm evil, right.


	9. Chapter 9ish

Author's Note: For clarification, underlined parts in flashback section are what Eliot overheard from the kitchen. Not that Hardison knows that.

Author's NOTE 2: Okay. I owe you all a **SERIOUS** apology. I totally meant to post this like a week after the last chapter (and this was supposed to be WAY longer) But life kinda happened; and by life I mean graduate finals (I passed! Hooray!), moving across the state, job hunting, no internet, and a WHOLE boatload of other stuff that I am totally not going to get into. Anyway… I just want you to know that though it may take a while; this story still has an ending that will appear eventually. I am probably going to be moving (_again_) soon and starting another job (cross your fingers for me!) and so do not expect regular updates or frequent ones at that. But I will do my best to put more out there. Thanks for keeping with me on this and again- sorry for the delay. Also- I've changed my pen name. Hope there's not too much confusion.

ALL RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE AND BELONG TO THEIR CREATORS. Thanks.

Nate's heart froze when his brain processed what the Commander had just told him. _Dead…no…_ his body reminded himself to keep breathing as he drew a ragged breath after having forgotten how to for a moment, grasping onto the _presumed_ part of that last sentence.

"Commander… what… What?" Nate finally managed. "Explain. Now."

"Mr. Ford. Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private." Joe looked at him with pity clear on his face.

"Follow me." Nate demanded as he rose and headed for the stairs.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hardison felt guilty. He knew this was his fault. He had freaked. And then he had failed. I mean, Eliot was freakin' Batman and he, Hardison couldn't hack him. He had tried. He had called in favors, hacked the Pentagon (twice, as well as every other governmental agency with a name and a few without), sent bugs around the world, and used all the tricks at his disposal. Well. The ones Nate would permit that would be "under the radar". He was handicapped! And it hadn't worked. He couldn't find him. His mind flashed back to the last time they had spoken, if you could call it that. _Hardison had been in shock, he knew that now. But he still couldn't forget the look on Eliot's pale face flushing with anger as he shouted, "I SAVED YOU!" And what Hardison had meant to say, "You killed them, Eliot," The __**for us**__ hadn't made it out before Eliot had spoken again. "I did what I had to."_ And then he had been gone. And it had been too late. In so many ways.

His mind still in the past, Hardison again too late realized, what Eliot had probably overheard and seriously misunderstood. _His head rested on his forearm as he leaned against his knees, back against the wall, toilet within reach should his stomach start rolling again. He heard Sophie enter. He knew it was Sophie. He was pretty sure neither Parker (unless she had to change out of her Converse for a con) and __**definitely**__ not Eliot would wear heels. "Oh Hardison!" She whispered softly as she placed a hand on his head. "Soph. I'm seriously freaked right now. Oh man, but __there was so much __**blood**__! And Eliot__ was like freakin' Batman!.. __And__... __I don't know__ how he could do that. __Sophie,__ those people had us, there were like a million of them. And one of him. They were gonna kill us. All __the blood__. I can't get it out of my head. He doesn't do that anymore, but he did it for us. How do you deal with __all of it!?__ … __What do__ you do? With everything? Help me Soph…" She had leaned down and lifted his head to look him in the eyes. "You remember what's important. Now, we're all freaked Hardison. This was big. And scary. But pull it together. We'll figure this out. We'll __**get**__ answers. Now, I know Parker is worried about you. Be strong, for her. She needs you, even if she doesn't say it aloud. Be strong for her." Hardison had nodded and pulled it together enough to leave the bathroom._

Forcibly pulling his mind back to the present the hacker looked at the laptops set up in front of him, spread out on the briefing table of "Nate's apartment". Three days ago he had broken the rules. Forget what Nate says, he thought, the "under the radar" approach is crap. And seriously not working. He had started some of his more hardcore programs running a search for Eliot. He was going to find his friend. He had to make it right. He started when he heard the door opening. Nate must be back. Damn, he had hoped the client meeting would last a bit longer so he could run through some more of his programs. He hit a few keys, quickly hiding what he had been working on. He turned to the door just as Nate entered. With the client? What?

Hardison took in the expression on his Boss's face. "Nate," he began to feel a tingling sense of worry. "What's going on man?"

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